Three explosions at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport killed 36 people with the death count expected to possibly rise, and injured over 130 on Tuesday. Senior Turkish officials says initial indications suggest ISIS is behind the attack.
One of the Istanbul attackers opened fire at terminal entrance then blew himself up, officials say.
[revad1]
Three suicide bombers were killed with one of them firing a Kalashnikov then detonating himself according to the Turkish Justice Minister. the Associated Press reported.
Here are two videos of one of the attackers, being shot by police then blowing himself up. The third video is of another explosion:
@CNN Police is shooting suicide bomber & after that the terrorist is exploding him!#istanbul #AtaturkAirport pic.twitter.com/kIKK2EqzrE
— HIZMET TURKEY (@HizmetTurkey) June 28, 2016
The governor of Istanbul, Vasip Sahin, initially told Turkish media outlets that 28 people were killed and 60 people were injured. Sahin also told Turkey’s state-run news agency, TRT, that three bombs exploded. However the death count is now at 36 and could continue to rise Turkish official said.
Over 61 million passengers traveled through Ataturk Airport in 2015.
The BBC noted that a “U.S. state department travel warning for Turkey, originally published in March and updated on Monday, urges US citizens to “exercise heightened vigilance and caution when visiting public access areas, especially those heavily frequented by tourists.””
One of the bombs exploded just outside the airport terminal on the pavement and another one at the security gate right near the entrance.
Reuters reported that police fired on the suspects at a terminal entry point.
Taxis were taking wounded people away from the airport.
There was speculation that the attack was politically motivated, and may have been a response by ISIS towards Israel and Turkey resuming full diplomatic ties.
Turkey, which is a part of the U.S. led coalition to fight against the Islamic State, has also been fighting against Kurdish militants in southeast Turkey.
[revad2]
