Details emerge on how Saudi lawyer’s body was found in Turkey club

It took Shahad Samman's uncle 15 hours to find her body among the victims of the recent terrorist attack in Istanbul, after she was shot four times.

Suleiman Samman, Shahad's brother, told Al Arabiya it was painful to search for his sister, a Saudi lawyer, among those killed and injured in the New Year’s Eve nightclub attack.

"We knew from my uncle that there was a shooting at the restaurant she was dinning in," Suleiman said.

"My uncle first went to the hotel she was staying in and looked for her but he only found her passport. He then insisted on going to the scene of the attack and tried to enter but security forces prevented him. He asked them to confirm Shahad was safe although the situation was terrifying due to the amount of blood and number of victims on the scene," he added.

"These were difficult moments as we did not know where my sister was. We communicated with the embassy and told them she was at the scene of the attack. Then my uncle checked in hospitals but he did not find her. He then received a phone call about a woman who had not been identified yet so he went to identify her and the tragedy is that she was my sister," Suleiman said.

Suleiman added that they coordinated with the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and his sister's body was transferred to Madinah airport.

Shahad's body arrived at the airport on Tuesday evening and it was transferred to hospital, Suleiman said, adding that prayers will be held at the Prophet's Mosque and she will be buried in al-Baqi cemetery.