Islamic State behind Istanbul airport attack that killed 36 – Turkish PM

UPDATE: ISTANBUL, June 29 (Reuters) – Findings point to Islamic State responsibility for a suicide bomb attack on Istanbul’s main international airport that killed 36 people and wounded many more on Tuesday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said.

“According to assessments so far, 36 people have lost their lives and there were also many wounded,” Yildirim told reporters at the site of the attack on Europe’s third-busiest airport.

He also said that a small number of the wounded were seriously injured.

This is a breaking news update. Check back later for more.

EARLIER STORY: ISTANBUL, June 28 (Reuters) – Three suicide bombers opened fire before blowing themselves up in the main international airport in Istanbul on Tuesday, killing 31 people and wounding close to 150, officials said.

Live coverage of the Istanbul airport blasts from BreakingNews.com

Police fired shots to try to stop two of the attackers just before they reached a security checkpoint at the arrivals hall at Ataturk airport, Europe’s third-busiest, but they detonated their explosives, one of the officials said.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said 31 people were killed and 147 wounded, according to Turkish broadcasters. Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin said authorities believed there were three suicide bombers, an account corroborated by witnesses.

A Turkish official said the vast majority of those killed were Turkish nationals but foreigners were also among the dead.

“There was a huge explosion, extremely loud. The roof came down. Inside the airport it is terrible, you can’t recognise it, the damage is big,” said Ali Tekin, who was at the arrivals hall waiting for a guest when the attack took place.

A woman named Duygu, who was at passport control having just arrived from Germany, said she threw herself onto the floor with the sound of the explosion. Several witnesses also reported hearing gunfire shortly before the attacks.

“Everyone started running away. Everywhere was covered with blood and body parts. I saw bullet holes on the doors,” she said outside the airport.

Paramedics help injured outside Turkey’s largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, following a blast June 28, 2016.
People wait with their luggage outside the Ataturk airport in Istanbul, on June 28, 2016, after two explosions followed by gunfire hit the Turkey’s biggest airport, killing at least 10 people and injured 20. All flights at Istanbul’s Ataturk international airport were suspended on June 28, 2016 after a suicide attack left at least 10 people dead and 20 others wounded, Turkish television stations reported.
Passengers wait with their luggage outside the Ataturk airport in Istanbul, on June 28, 2016, after two explosions followed by gunfire hit the Turkey’s biggest airport, killing at least 10 people and injured 20. All flights at Istanbul’s Ataturk international airport were suspended on June 28, 2016 after a suicide attack left at least 10 people dead and 20 others wounded, Turkish television stations reported.
Turkish police officers stand outside Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, late Tuesday, June 28, 2016. Two explosions have rocked Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, killing several people and wounding others, Turkey’s justice minister and another official said Tuesday. A Turkish official says two attackers have blown themselves up at the airport after police fired at them. The official said the attackers detonated the explosives at the entrance of the international terminal before entering the x-ray security check.
A weapon is seen on the floor at Ataturk airport after suicide bombers opened fire before blowing themselves up at the entrance, in Istanbul, Turkey June 28, 2016.
VA view of the entrance of the Ataturk international airport after two suicide bombers opened fire before blowing themselves up at the entrance, in Istanbul, Turkey June 28, 2016.
An injured person sits in an ambulance outside Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. Two explosions have rocked Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, killing several people and wounding scores of others, Turkey’s justice minister and another official said Tuesday.
Paramedics help casualties outside Turkey’s largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, following a blast, June 28, 2016.
Officials walk inside Turkey’s largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, following a blast June 28, 2016.
Armed security walks at Turkey’s largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, following a blast June 28, 2016.
Ambulance cars arrive at Turkey’s largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, following a blast June 28, 2016.
Security blocks the road towards Turkey’s largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, June 28, 2016.
An ambulance arrives at the Ataturk airpor in Istanbul, Turkey June 28, 2016.
Ambulance cars arrive at Turkey’s largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, following a blast June 28, 2016.
An entrance of the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul after explosions, Tuesday, June 28, 2016. Two explosions have rocked Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, killing at least 10 people and wounding around 20 others, Turkey’s justice minister and another official said Tuesday.
Paramedics push a stretcher at Turkey’s largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, following a blast June 28, 2016.
Paramedics help a man in a wheelchair at Turkey’s largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, following a blast June 28, 2016.
File photo of Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul on Feb. 2016.

1/18 SLIDES © Ismail Coskun/IHLAS News Agency/Reuters
Paramedics help injured outside Turkey’s largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, following a blast June 28, 2016.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest in a string of suicide bombings in Turkey this year, but the Dogan news agency said initial indications suggested Islamic State may have been responsible, citing police sources.

A Turkish official said it was too soon to assign blame.

The attack bore some similarities to a suicide bombing by Islamic State militants at Brussels airport in March which killed 16 people. A coordinated attack also targeted a rush-hour metro train, killing a further 16 people in the Belgian capital.

Paul Roos, 77, described seeing one of the attackers “randomly shooting” on the departures floor of the terminal.
http://ghanapoliticsonline.com/

“He was just firing at anyone coming in front of him. He was wearing all black. His face was not masked. I was 50 metres (55 yards) away from him,” said Roos, a South African on his way back to Cape Town with his wife after a holiday in southern Turkey.

“We ducked behind a counter but I stood up and watched him. Two explosions went off shortly after one another. By that time he had stopped shooting,” Roos told Reuters.

“He turned around and started coming towards us. He was holding his gun inside his jacket. He looked around anxiously to see if anyone was going to stop him and then went down the escalator … We heard some more gunfire and then another explosion, and then it was over.”

“COULD HAVE BEEN ANYWHERE”

President Tayyip Erdogan said the attack should serve as a turning point in the global fight against militant groups.

“The attack, which took place during the holy month of Ramadan, shows that terrorism strikes with no regard for faith and values,” he said in a statement.

“The bombs that exploded in Istanbul today could have gone off at any airport in any city around the world,” he said, urging all governments to join forces against terrorism.

Speaking in parliament earlier, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said initial reports suggested one attacker had initially opened fire with a Kalashnikov then detonated explosives.

Ataturk is Turkey’s largest airport and a major transport hub for international travellers. Pictures posted on social media from the site showed wounded people lying on the ground inside and outside one of the terminal buildings.

A helicopter buzzed overhead as police evacuated the building. Dozens of passengers walked back down access roads with their luggage, trying to hail cabs. The U.S. embassy urged U.S citizens to avoid the area.

FLIGHTS HALTED

Authorities halted the takeoff of scheduled flights from the airport and passengers were transferred to hotels, a Turkish Airlines official said. Earlier an airport official said some flights to the airport had been diverted.

The airport will be closed for up to 48 hours, Turkey told one foreign government.

In the United States, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reacted to the explosions by putting armed, high-visibility patrols at the three main airports in the New York metropolitan region.

Turkey has suffered a spate of bombings this year, including two suicide attacks in tourist areas of Istanbul blamed on Islamic State, and two car bombings in the capital, Ankara, which were claimed by a Kurdish militant group.

In the most recent attack, a car bomb ripped through a police bus in central Istanbul during the morning rush hour, killing 11 people and wounding 36 near the main tourist district, a major university and the mayor’s office.

Turkey, which is part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, is also fighting Kurdish militants in its largely Kurdish southeast.

One person was killed on Dec. 23, 2015, when an explosion hit Istanbul’s second airport, Sabiha Gokcen, located on the Asian side of the city. That attack was claimed by a Kurdish militant group.

(Additional reporting by Ayla Jean Yackley, Asli Kandemir and Istanbul bureau; Writing by David Dolan and Nick Tattesall; Editing by Gareth Jones and Bill Rigby)

by Taboola
Sponsored Links
MORE FOR YOU
Japan — flyover country in the making?Nikkei Asian Review
Which Music Festival is Right For You?SpinMedia
End Your Nightly Snoring Nightmare
With This Simple Solution
With This Simple SolutionMy Snoring Solution
Woman Shot Dead Along With Sister by
Their Own Mother Was
Their Own Mother Was About to Get Married
Inside Edition on MSN
Woman is Milwaukee’s first fugitive on FBI’s ‘Ten Most Wanted’ list
WISN Milwaukee on MSN
Nike recalls skimpy Wimbledon tennis
dress to be worn by Laura
dress to be worn by Laura Robson with players struggling to cover up in qualifying
The Telegraph on MSN
奢华与休闲：查看Canali的运动服和礼服Canali
Get Hired! Create a Perfect Online Portfolio for FreeWix.com
The Ultimate Way to Get Cheap Hotel RoomsSave70.com
AP reporter’s terrifying trip on 1,000-foot-high glass slide
Associated Press on MSN
Woman sentenced in newborn’s murder at sorority house
CBS News on MSN
The ghostly object concealed in this
spooky Irish snap will really
spooky Irish snap will really give you a fright
Mirror on MSN
3 million gamers tried the BETA and loved
this new feature, check it
this new feature, check it out! Forge Of Empires – Free Online Game
Aged 35 he speaks 11 languages – his 11
tricks to learn any language
tricks to learn any languageBabbel
Are you ready to conquer Ancient
Greece? Play and become
Greece? Play and become a hero!Grepolis – Online Free Game
The Big Failure That Hillary Kept Secret for 30 Years
Ozy on MSN
Coast Guard makes grim announcement about missing family
CBS News on MSN
Former Student Charged With Two
College Rapes Gets Probation
College Rapes Gets Probation After Plea Agreement
LawNewz on MSN
Choose the Office suite that’s right for
you (starting at $6.99/month)
you (starting at $6.99/month)Microsoft Store
Save $300 on the Dell Inspiron 13 Signature Edition 2 in 1 PCMicrosoft Store
Renew Office 365 and get 2016 versions of
Word, Excel, PowerPoint
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and moreMicrosoft Store
Previous Next
Go to MSN Home
Go to MSN News
AdChoices
YOU MAY LIKE
Honda Malaysia recalls over 147,000 cars to fix airbagsNikkei Asian Review
Insanely popular game
finally releases new feature
finally releases new feature after months of testing!Forge Of Empires – Free Online Game
That’s How You Find Super Cheap Flights!Save70.com
7 tricks to learn a language in 7 daysBabbel

by Taboola
Sponsored Links
AdChoices
MORE FROM MSN
Becky Watts’ killers lose challenges to convictions and sentences
Press Association on MSN
Be afraid, Donald Trump.
We’re about to see the best
We’re about to see the best of Barack Obama
The Guardian on MSN
The ‘Inevitable War’
Between the U.S. and China
Between the U.S. and China
Newsweek on MSN
House Democrats
mistakenly release transcript
mistakenly release transcript confirming big payout to Clinton friend
Tribune Washington Bureau on MSN
MORE FROM NEWS
‘Star Trek’ fans slam CBS and Paramount after it
releases guidelines for fan
releases guidelines for fan films
The Daily Dot on MSN
Donald Trump’s political suicide mission
The Washington Post on MSN
U.S. launches first attacks
on Taliban under new rules
on Taliban under new rules
USA TODAY on MSN
Marine Corps forced to
pull warbirds out of ‘boneyard’
pull warbirds out of ‘boneyard’ after new fleet delay
FOX News on MSN
© 2016 Microsoft