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Turkish Authorities Demolish Most of Reina Nightclub | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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A man walks through debris from the demolition of the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey on May 22, 2017. (AFP)


Authorities in Turkey have partially destroyed Reina nightclub, the site of the New Year ISIS attack that the claimed the lives of 39 revelers, announced Turkey’s state-run news agency.

The Anadolu Agency said most parts of the upscale Istanbul nightclub, on the shores of the Bosporus, were demolished Monday by the city’s municipality.

It cited a breach of construction regulations. Piles of rubble were left on the ground of the nightclub close to a bridge across the Bosporus. Only the entrance area of the club remained standing.

Anadolu reported that Reina employees were unaware of the demolition decision and arrived in the morning to see the destruction.

The surprise move came as questions remained on the future of the club that has been closed since the January 1 shooting. The dead included 25 foreign citizens.

The attacker, Abdulkadir Masharipov, an Uzbek citizen, is to go on trial for the attack on December 11.

Police captured him on January 17. ISIS said the attack was revenge for Turkish military involvement in Syria.

The attacker opened fire with an automatic rifle, throwing stun grenades to allow himself to reload and shooting the wounded on the ground. Among those killed in the attack were Turks and visitors from several Arab nations, India and Canada.

Last month, the United States revealed that a secret military ground operation killed an ISIS operative, a close associate of leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was linked to the Istanbul nightclub attack.