Police may have found Istanbul nightclub attacker

Authorities in Turkey have established the possible links and location of the main suspect behind the New Year's Day attack at an Istanbul nightclub.

In an interview with broadcaster A Haber, the country's Deputy Prime Minster Veysi Kaynak said he could not rule out the possibility of the gunman fleeing abroad.

It is believed the suspect is a member of the Uighur community - a Muslim group who live in western China.

He also said it was clear the attacker acted alone, but could have been helped by others.

• Video report by ITV News Security Editor Rohit Kachroo

As CCTV footage emerged showing the Reina nightclub gunman just hours before the attack, Turkish police announced they had detained 58 people in connection with the attack across three cities in Turkey.

A third of those detained are children.

ITV News has also learnt that the suspected gunman used a fake passport and an alias to rent several homes in the weeks before the attack, yet despite the information they already hold, Turkish authorities have so far failed to find the attacker.

Police in Istanbul have arrested 20 people as they continue to hunt for the gunman behind the attack on Reina nightclub which left 39 people dead and up to 70 wounded.

Authorities increased security around the city on Wednesday as they arrested 20 people with suspected links to the deadly attack, Turkish media reported.

Police in Turkey have released a photograph showing the alleged Reina nightclub attacker arriving at a bus terminal to purchase a ticket to Istanbul.

Turkish authorities claim he walked into the ticket hall in Konya with his friend several days before attack.

Although they claim to have identified the suspect, they have not released his identity publicly.

Video footage has emerged allegedly showing the Istanbul nightclub attacker leaving the Zeytinburnu district for the Reina nightclub.

The CCTV video, obtained by ITV News, was recorded at 10.49pm on December 31 and shows a man walking down the road wearing a hooded coat and carrying a large rucksack.

It is believed the rucksack contained the weapon that he used to kill 39 people during a mass shooting at the nightclub less than two hours later.

A Turkish official has said changing the country's anti-terror laws would pose a threat to its national security.

The European Union wants Turkey to amend its anti-terror laws in order for its citizens to gain visa-free travel to Europe.

The initiative is part of a wider deal, signed last year, that is hoped would stem the flow of refugees and illegal migrants into Europe from Turkey.

However Turkey's EU minister, Omer Celik, reiterated Ankara's position that Brussels should not expect them to change their stance.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said "nobody's lifestyle is under systematic threat" following the New Year's Day attack on an Istanbul nightclub.

Mr Erdogan gave his comments during a speech to local administrators at the presidential palace in Ankara, and said the shooting was a deliberate attempt the divide the nation.

In an address that was broadcast live on Wednesday, he said: "There is no point trying to blame the Ortakoy attack on differences in lifestyles.

"Nobody's lifestyle is under systematic threat in Turkey. We will never allow this."

The body of a Bollywood film producer, who was a victim of the gun attack at an Istanbul nightclub on New Year's Day, has been brought home to Mumbai from Turkey.

Bollywood actors joined other friends and family to mourn Abis Rizvi, 49, on Wednesday morning.

Mr Rizvi was one of two Indian victims of the attack and his funeral will be held later today.

He wrote, produced and directed the Bollywood movie 'Roar: The Tigers of Sunderbans' in 2014, aimed at spreading awareness of tigers.

Nearly two-thirds of the people killed at the Reina nightclub were foreigners, many from the Middle East.

Police in Istanbul are checking cars and passengers at various checkpoints across the Turkish city amid tightening security on Wednesday.

The checks were being carried out as the manhunt continues for the suspect behind the Reina nightclub attack on New Year's Day.

Authorities have identified the attacker, but have not revealed his name.

On Sunday, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office updated their travel advice for British tourists to the country and said: "There is an ongoing police operation in Istanbul as a result of the attack."

They added: "You should exercise vigilance and caution at this time, and follow the advice and instructions of the security authorities."

The identity of the gunman who killed 39 people in an attack on the Reina nightclub in Istanbul on New Year's Day has been established, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

However authorities in Turkey have not revealed any further information about the suspect.

The gunman, who fled after the attack, remains at large.

Sixteen people have been detained as part of the investigation into the shooting.