Alalam - Turkey

The prime suspect was named in Turkish media as Lakhe Mashrapov.

TRT TV said Mashrapov, 28, was from the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan.

Police revealed his identity after they found his fingerprints and special forces stormed a block of flats in Instanbul.

The Hurriyet Daily said the attacker showed signs of being well trained in the use of arms and had fought in Syria for ISIS (ISIL, IS, Daesh) terrorists.

Hurriyet's well-connected columnist Abdulkadir Selvi said the attacker had been identified, with investigators focusing on the idea he was from Central Asia.

Selvi said he had been trained in street fighting in residential areas in Syria and used these techniques in the attack, shooting from the hip rather than as a sniper.

Authorities also released pictures from the killer's selfie video taken as he was walking around in public at Taksim Square in the ¬centre of Istanbul yesterday.

he camera never leaves the man's unsmiling face as he walked through Taksim Square during the 44-second clip that was broadcast on state-run Anadolu television and other Turkish media.

It wasn't immediately clear if the video was made before or after the New Year's massacre at the Reina nightclub, or how it was obtained.

He is thought to be linked to the ISIS cell that attacked Ataturk airport in the city in June.

SA