(CNN) ISIS has claimed responsibility for the deadly New Year’s attack at an upscale Istanbul nightclub that left 39 people dead.
The terror group offered no further clues about the identity of the attacker, and authorities in Turkey continue their search for the suspect.
ISIS’ claim — made in a statement posted to Twitter — cannot independently be verified by CNN.
“In continuation of the blessed operations which ISIS carries out against Turkey, a soldier of the brave caliphate attacked one of the most popular nightclubs while Christians were celebrating their holiday,” the statement reads.
Eight people have been detained by police and are being questioned in connection with the attack, according to Anadolu, Turkey’s state-run news agency, as well as state broadcaster TRT.
Earlier on Monday, the Kurdistan Worker’s Party, or PKK, distanced itself from the attack, which took place at the Reina nightclub during the early hours of January 1.
“No Kurdish forces have anything to do with this attack,” it said in a statement. “The Kurdish freedom fight is also the fight for democratization of Turkey. That’s why we won’t target innocent and civilian people.”
Dozens of people were hospitalized following the attack. As of Monday, 46 were still being treated, including one American, according to the Istanbul governor’s office. A handful of the injured were in critical condition.
Those killed in the attack were from 14 countries, including India, Morocco, Jordan, Canada, Russia, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
The suspected shooter, who stormed the nightclub soon after the clock struck midnight, appears to have evaded the tight security that blanketed Turkey’s largest city over the New Year, but authorities were confident they would apprehend him soon.
“There is strong coordination and we will find him, no delay,” Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters gathered outside an Istanbul hospital, where he had been visiting people injured in the attack.
Footage of the attacker shooting a security guard and police officer at the entrance of the nightclub has emerged, lending credence to Turkish authorities’ claim that he carried out the attack alone.
A security official showed the entrance to CNN, confirming that it was the site of the video.
“We are face to face with a terror attack,” Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters Sunday. “The efforts to locate the terrorist are ongoing.”
World leaders condemned the shooting. US officials also called it a terrorist attack, making it the first of 2017.
