Istanbul Nightclub Attacker Arrested; Suspect In New Year's Eve Attack At Reina Found Amid ISIS Terror Cell

reina nightclub attack — Turkish Police arrested a suspect in the New Year's Eve attack on the Reina nightclub in Istanbul that left 39 people dead. Above, flowers and pictures of the victims are placed near the entrance of the nightclub, Jan. 3, 2017. Osman Orsal/Reuters

The man believed responsible for an attack on an Istanbul nightclub New Year’s Eve that left 39 people dead and dozens injured has been arrested, Turkish media reported Monday.

Abdulkadir Masharipov, an Uzbek national, was believed behind the attack on the Reina nightclub. He was captured in Istanbul’s Esenyurt district, Hurriyet Daily News reported. The suspect’s 4-year-old son was nearby when he was arrested.

The Daily Sabah reported Masharipov was being sheltered by an Islamic State group terror cell. He was transferred to Istanbul Police Headquarters.

Masharipov’s wife was arrested Jan. 1 in a raid in the Maltepe district.

"I learned about the attack from TV. I didn't know that my husband was a Daesh [another name for ISIS] terrorist, let alone a sympathizer," she said in various media reports.

She told anti-terror investigators she met Masharipov at a house in the Zeytinburnu district the night of the attack. He took their son and vanished, she said.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack that claimed victims from Israel, France, Tunisia, Lebanon, India, Belgium, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, saying it was revenge for Turkey’s involvement in the Syrian conflict.

A gunman armed with a long-barrelled gun burst into the club and opened fire.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş Monday called the attack professional and said it was carried out with the help of an intelligence organization.

“It appears the Reina attack was not just a terrorist organization’s act, but there was also an intelligence organization involved. It was an extremely planned and organized act,” Kurtulmuş told Hurriyet Daily News.

Police said they found $150,000 Sunday in a house in Silivri believed used by the attacker. Masharipov reportedly had been unable to return to the house and retrieve the cash because of the manhunt for him, police said. Masharipov is believed to have rented the house using an alias, Ebu Muhammed Horasani.

Security forces described Masharipov as a mercenary who conducted the attack for money, not for ideological reasons.

Twenty suspects were detained in Izmir province for suspected links to Masharipov.