there was a lead-up to the square just to give you an idea of how tight security was leading up to this. there was a police officer out front yards away. with all that tight security, the gunman got into the club to kill 39 people and slip away. ian, this is a period of upheaval in turkey. the russian ambassador assassinated and attempted coup. it seems like an unsettled time there. reporter: that s right. there has been a number of attacks, not just by isis, but attacks by the kurdish militants, the pkk, both sides have killed dozens. the pkk mainly targets the police and military and security services while isis goes after softer targets and civilians.
they will catch him saying the strong coordination with the security services. 39 people dead, ian, in the atta attack. still no identity of the attacker. what is the latest on the manhunt? reporter: right now, turkish police and authorities have been tight lipped about what they are doing. apparently with the information that isis saying they carried it out, authorities will look for anyone who helped him. the attacker changed clothes after the attack and slipped away into the chaos. it has been over 36 hours and like other attacks we have seen in europe, it is likely this gunman is going to try to make his way to syria to escape turkey. that is something that authorities are going to be looking for. they will try to identify the nationality. was this a turk or was this someone else from another
this claim and isis has not provided any evidence that they were behind the attack. right now, there is a nationwide manhunt under way. we heard from the prime minister who says he is certain they will catch him soon. also, there is strong coordination with the security forces. if this person is an isis operative, likely he might try to slip back into syria. it really is a ticking clock in trying to find him. ian, i heard the nightclub described as one of the most popular in istanbul. perhaps with western people or all different countries. reporter: that s right. it was a symbol of ice ststanbi. you would see singers and athletes and well-to-do. the place to be seen. it makes it a target for isis to carry outer or attacks.
department as william jacob raak. an international manhunt is under way for the attacker still unidentified at this point. cnn s ian lee is live in istanbul. ian, let s start with the new claim of responsibility. reporter: john, this attack were the hallmarks of the isis attack. now we re hearing from the group on twitter. allegedly they are saying one of their soldiers ca s carried ou attack. many of the victims were muslims celebrating the new year. they also said that the government of turkey should know the blood of muslims who get killed by turkey, planes and ar artillery, will set on fire in their country. this is referencing the ongoing battle. we cannot independently verify
reporter: we just got this n few minutes ago. isis tweeting this out. it says that the attack was carried out by one of the soldiers against a popular nightclub while christians celebrating the holiday. it is important to note that many people killed and injured in the nightclub were muslims celebrating the new year. they also said that the government of turkey should know that the blood of muslims who get killed by the planes will be set afire in their own country. recently, turkey has been on the offensive against isis in the city of al baab. we cannot independently verify this claim. nor has isis given details about the individual who carried it out. there is a massive manhunt going on. the prime minister confident