Istanbul Ataturk airport attack: 41 dead and over 230 injured
Gun and bomb attacks reported at Turkish airport on Tuesday evening, early signs indicate Islamic State involvement
- Three attackers began shooting before blowing themselves up in one of world's busiest airports
- Ataturk had been touted as a vulnerable target for terrorist attacks
Updated : 14:01
Suicide attacks have rocked Istanbul's Ataturk airport on Tuesday evening, with at least 41 people killed and over 230 injured in a combination of gunfire and bomb blasts in one of the world's busiest terminals.
Deadly explosions ripped through crowds in the Turkish airport after the assailants became involved in a firefight with security forces at a checkpoint, before detonating suicide bombs.
Deadly explosions ripped through crowds in the Turkish airport after the assailants became involved in a firefight
In a press conference in Istanbul on Tuesday night, Turkish prime minister Binali Yıldırım said: “No matter where the terror comes from, our country is strong enough to fight against this terror. I call on every citizen to act in unity and stand by each other.” He said that by 2.22am local time air traffic was “back to normal and flights are resumed”.
At least five of the dead were police officers and some were foreigners, according to Yildirim.
Islamic State is likely responsible for the killings, the prime minister said in televised remarks. Once an affiliate of al-Qaeda, Islamic State carried out beheadings and crucifixions as it took parts of Syria and northern Iraq. While losing ground in recent months, it is striking abroad more frequently and claimed responsibility for similar airport attacks in Brussels in March.
A witness from South Africa told Reuters that the gunmen opened fire randomly inside Ataturk, which has taken over Frankfurt recently as Europe's third busiest airport with almost 62 million annual passengers.
“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 away from him,” said Paul Roos, 77, a tourist on his way back to Cape Town with his wife.
Islamic State is likely responsible for the killings, the prime minister said in televised remarks
“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.”
“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.”
Security footage from the airport circulating on social media appears to show one of the attackers being shot by police before detonating a suicide bomb.