ISIL militants in Raqqa sent footage from inside nightclub attacked by Masharipov

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants in Raqqa sent footage from inside the Reina nightclub in Istanbul's Ortaköy to prepare ISIL militant Abdulkadir Masharipov to carry out the attack, according to testimony from the Uzbek militant that was released to the press.

Masharipov, who was caught on Jan. 16 in Istanbul's Esenyurt district, said in new testimony that he watched the video over and over because he was not familiar with the interior of the posh nightclub on the shore of the Bosphorus.

The footage that was sent from Raqqa has emerged, showing the interior and open sections of the nightclub. The footage also shows the route that Masharipov used during his attack on Jan. 1, in which a total of 39 people were killed and 65 others were wounded. 

"When it was certain that we would carry out the attack, the emir I contacted in Raqqa sent me footage from inside Reina. I watched the footage over and over again. After completely memorizing the plan of the nightclub, I went to Zeytinburnu and got my weapon, I went back and started the attack," Masharipov said in his testimony.

While searching for the initial source of the video, police are evaluating whether the footage might have been gathered from social media. Police are also considering the accuracy of the answers given by Masharipov. 

The interrogation of the ISIL militant is reportedly being conducted in Russian due to his lack of proficiency in Turkish.

When asked why he chose Reina as a place to attack, Masharipov said those inside were "apostates." He was also asked why he killed the police officer at the door. 

"The police opened fire first. I wouldn't have been able to enter the nightclub without killing him," he said.