Latest: Arrested suspect 'has confessed to Istanbul nightclub attack'

Officials said today that the susepct is an Uzbekistan national who trained in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters in Ankara that the man was being questioned by police and expressed hope that the interrogation would unveil the "forces" behind the attack, which was claimed by the so-called ‘Islamic State’ group.

"The vile terrorist who attacked the place of entertainment on New Year's Eve and led to the loss of so many lives has been captured," Mr Yildirim said.

He added: "What is important is for the suspect to be captured and for the forces behind it to be revealed."

The premier refused to give further details on the arrest or the investigation, saying authorities would provide specifics "in time".

Mr Sahin said the attack suspect is an Uzbekistan national who trained in Afghanistan. He is believed to have entered Turkey in January 2016.

The suspect, according to Mr Sahin, is a well-educated terrorist who speaks four languages and had clearly carried out the attack in the name of ‘IS’.

The statements come hours after police began questioning the suspect, who was identified in Turkish media reports as Abdulgadir Masharipov and was caught in a police operation at a luxury residential complex in Istanbul.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said a man from Kyrgyzstan and three women - from Somalia, Senegal and Egypt - were also detained in the raid, while the gunman's four-year-old son was taken into protective custody.

‘IS’ has claimed responsibility for the nightclub massacre, saying the attack in the early hours of January 1 was in reprisal for Turkish military operations in northern Syria. The man identified as the suspect had been on the run since the attack.

Anadolu said police have also carried out raids on members of a suspected Uzbek IS cell in five Istanbul neighbourhoods, and detained several people.

Authorities had set up a 1,000-strong force to capture the gunman, Anadolu said.

Earlier:

The gunman suspected of killing 39 people during a New Year's attack on an Istanbul nightclub has been caught in a police operation, according to Turkish media reports.

The suspect was captured in a special operations police raid on a house in Istanbul's Esenyurt district, private NTV television reported.

The broadcaster said he had been staying in the house belonging to a friend from Kyrgyzstan.

The so-called 'Islamic State' group has claimed responsibility for the nightclub massacre, saying the attack in the first hours of January 1 was in reprisal for Turkish military operations in northern Syria.

The man identified as the suspect had been on the run since the attack.

Hurriyet newspaper and other media have identified the gunman as Abdulkadir Masharipov, an Uzbekistan national.

The suspect was to undergo medical checks before being taken to police headquarters for questioning, the paper said.

Dogan news agency published what it said was the first image of the attacker.

It showed a bruised, black-haired man in a grey, bloodied shirt being held by his neck. NTV said the gunman had resisted arrest.

The broadcaster reported that the alleged gunman's Kyrgyz friend and three other people also were detained. His four-year-old child, who was with him at the home, was taken into protective custody.

Hurriyet said the alleged gunman's wife and one-year old daughter were caught in a police operation on January 12.

Police established his whereabouts four or five days ago, but delayed the raid so they could monitor his movements and contacts, NTV reported.

The television channel also broadcast footage showing plain-clothed police taking away a man in a white top and sweat pants, forcing his head down.

The station said the images showed the gunman's Kyrgyz friend being taken to a police vehicle.

The state-run Anadolu Agency also reported the arrest and identified the gunman, only with a slightly different spelling of his first name, Abdulgadir.

It said a Kyrgyz man and three women were detained with him

Anadolu said the suspects were being taken to Istanbul's main police headquarters for questioning, and police were carrying out raids on other suspected 'Islamic State' group cells.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu posted a Twitter message thanking the interior minister, Suleyman Soylu, police and intelligence organisations "who caught the Reina attacker in the name of the people".

Earlier, Turkish deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said the Reina nightclub attack had been carried out professionally with the help of an intelligence organisation, a claim he had made in the first days after the attack.

He did not name the organisation suspected of being involved.

Hundreds of people were gathered at the Reina nightclub to celebrate the end of a tumultuous 2016 only to become the first victims of 2017. The gunman shot a police officer and a civilian outside the club, then stormed the premises.

Most of the dead in the attack on the upmarket club were foreign nationals, from the Middle East. The gunman had reportedly left Reina in a taxi.