1,000 years in Turkish prison for nightclub massacre, no parole possible

A Turkish court has sentenced a man to life in prison for carrying out a gun attack on an Istanbul nightclub that left 39 people dead.

Abdulkadir Masharipov, a citizen of Uzbekistan, was handed 40 life sentences on Monday, Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reports.

It follows a three-year trial over the shooting, which happened at the exclusive Reina nightclub just minutes into New Year’s Day in 2017.

The Islamic State (IS) group claimed it was responsible for the attack.

Masharipov also received an additional 1,368-year sentence for the attempted murder of 79 people who were injured in the attack.

He will never be eligible for parole.

Another man, Ilyas Mamasaripov, was sentenced to more than 1,400 years in prison for helping plan the shooting.

Forty-eight defendants were sentenced to jail for being members of a terrorist organisation, and 11 others were acquitted.

What happened in the attack?

In the early hours of the morning, as revellers celebrated the new year inside the Reina nightclub, a taxi pulled up at the entrance.

Masharipov emerged from the cab and rushed into the swanky club, wildly firing an automatic rifle.

He threw stun grenades to give himself time to reload, before slaughtering injured people struggling on the ground, after which he fled the scene.

Citizens of Israel, France, Tunisia, Lebanon, India, Belgium, Jordan and Saudi Arabia were among the victims.

The Uzbek national was eventually detained after a lengthy manhunt.

Police in Turkey have carried out numerous raids against IS in recent times.

In July, 27 people suspected of planning an attack in Istanbul were detained.

Last week, the government announced the top IS commander in the country had been arrested.