Closing summary
Guardian reporters Constanze Letsch and Emma Graham-Harrison have published a definitive second-day story covering the attacks on Ataturk airport now, so point your browsers there to get the full low-down.
In the meantime, here is a summary of the main events:
- 41 people were killed and 239 wounded in a gun and bombing attack on the Ataturk international airport in Istanbul on Tuesday night.
- 13 of the 41 dead are foreign nationals, including five from Saudi Arabia, two from Iraq, and one each from Tunisia, Uzbekistan, China, Iran, Ukraine and Jordan. The Palestinian ambassador to Turkey has also said a Palestinian woman was killed.
- Authorities believe three men armed with Kalashnikov rifles attacked the airport, detonating suicide vests when confronted by police officers.
- No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but Turkey’s prime minister, Binali Yildirim, has said the attack was carried out by Daesh (Islamic State).
- Yildirim said the men caught a taxi to the airport, launching their assault at the international arrivals terminal.
- Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the attack showed “the dark face of terror that targets innocent civilians”
- The bombing at Atatürk – Turkey’s largest airport, and the third-busiest in Europe – is the third suicide attack on Istanbul in 2016.
- Atatürk airport has reopened, with incoming and outgoing flights – which were halted in the immediate aftermath of the attack – operating this morning, although many are cancelled or delayed.
- Foreign ministers from around the world, including Russia and Israel - two countries previously at odds with Turkey - have offered their condolences and support.
Israel’s president has followed up his country’s recent rapprochement with Turkey by sending his condolences after the attack on Ataturk airport.
Reuven Rivlin told Recep Tayyip Erdogan that their countries’ reconciliation pact will help with joint efforts to fight terrorism, and that Israel is willing to help Turkey recover from the attack.
The two countries, once close allies, have suffered six years of animosity after Israeli commandoes killed Turkish nationals sailing aboard an aid convoy bound for the Gaza Strip.
Rivlin’s letter says:
I take this opportunity to welcome the chance to renew our good relationship especially because our strengthened dialogue will greatly aid in our joint efforts against this threat, and because it sends a strong message to the terrorists that we will stand untied against hatred.
Colleagues on the graphics desk have put together a new map of the events at Ataturk airport last night. It takes account of eyewitnesses reports that claim - in contradiction of the official account - that a gunman made it past security cordons and into the check-in area on the airport’s first floor departure lounge.
A Palestinian woman was among those killed in the blasts at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, Palestine’s ambassador to Turkey has said. Six more Palestinians were injured, including a 17-year-old girl from Gaza who is critically hurt.
Ambassador Faed Mustafa confirmed the death and injuries to Palestinian media Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. Nisreen Melhem, 28, from the West Bank town of Arraba, was killed and her 34-year-old husband and 3-year-old daughter were injured, according to Moath Hamed, a Palestinian journalism student visiting the family in the hospital.
The Palestinians were living and working in Saudi Arabia and had landed in Istanbul for vacation.
Pope Francis has denounced the “brutal terrorist attack” at Istanbul’s airport and is calling for the killers behind it to change their ways.
In a noontime blessing from his studio window, Francis said he was praying for the victims, their families “and the dear Turkish people.” He asked the entire piazza to pray in silence and then led the crowd in the Hail Mary prayer.
He said: “May the Lord convert the hearts of the violent ones and support our efforts toward the path of peace.”
A full breakdown of the nationalities of those killed in the attacks has been released to Kareem Shaheen, the Guardian’s Middle East reporter, by a Turkish official.
According to the latest figures, there are 41 dead and 239 wounded, with 109 discharged from hospital. Among those killed are:
- Five from Saudi Arabia
- Two from Iraq
- One from Tunisia
- One from Uzbekistan
- One from China
- One from Iran
- One from Ukraine
- One from Jordan
This means that 13 out of the 41 dead are foreign nationals. The rest are Turkish citizens.
Ataturk airport death toll raised to 41
The number of dead from last night’s coordinated terrorist attacks on Istanbul’s main airport has now risen to 41, according to the Associated Press.
The agency cites an announcement from the governor of Istanbul that gives the new death toll. It is not clear what the reasons are for the increased death toll.
Updated
Laurence Cameron, a journalist with British TV company intrepid, was travelling through Istanbul airport to the Turkish city of Izmir when the bombs went off. He told Guardian reporter Emma Graham-Harrison what happened after he departed from the flight and walked into the airport:
As I walked up the bridge to the airport, I heard the sound of panic. I kept going anyway, I wasn’t really thinking, and as I turned the corner into the main tunnel I saw a wave of people racing towards me in complete terror, babies screaming, an old man in a wheelchair stranded in the middle of the crowd. He had lost his friends.
People were shouting “bomb! bomb!”, “run! run!”, but there isn’t anywhere to run except back to the gates that you came from, so people were funnelled back towards the planes.
I kept on going towards the visa desks, but they were all deserted except for police patrolling with guns who ordered me back.
Cameron said that after about 20 minutes wait, officials opened up the visa desks and allowed people to exit - checking their passports despite a scene of disarray.
On the other side, in the baggage area, you could see where the bomb had gone off. There was dust everywhere, ceiling panels on the floor, shattered glass, blood and big piles of dusty luggage that had obviously been abandoned by people trying to escape.
You do think ‘shit, if our plane had landed half an hour earlier, that could have been my bag sitting there’. I saw a chap with a bloodied arm, and someone with a rag on his head, but nothing catastrophic, the worst injured people had probably been taken to hospital already.
As we came out, we saw the impact of an even bigger bomb on our left, by the start of the taxi rank. There was blood smeared on the floor, sirens, at least seven ambulances. Panels at the side of the building had been blown off, the walls were shredded.
The police kept pushing us along, until the cordon ended at a multi-storey car park, where they just left us in chaos.
The Guardian’s reporter in Istanbul, Constanze Letsch, has been speaking to people around the airport this morning.
Engin Sürer, a taxi driver said he had driven away from the international terminal around 30 minutes before the explosions and said he was still shaken by the attack.
I am not afraid to work, but of course I am nervous. I would have never thought that such an attack would be possible at the airport.
He said that he had not been able to reach all of his colleagues on duty at the airport at the time of the explosions, one of which occurred in proximity to a taxi stand outside the international terminal. At least one taxi driver working at the airport at the time, Mustafa Biyikli, has been confirmed dead this morning.
Taxi driver Eftal Erdin, 55, said that he was angry after news circulated on social media saying that taxi drivers asked for much higher fees from people stranded at the airport after the attack. He said:
Many of our friends drove injured people to the surrounding hospitals for free. Those drivers have no shame, but we want the world to know that Turkey is not a bad place. These attackers want to bring tourism in Turkey to its knees, but we want to make sure that people know that we will not allow for that to happen.
Turkish officials have said 13 foreign nationals were killed in the attack on Ataturk airport last night. The rest of the 36 victims were Turkish citizens.
An Iranian and a Ukrainian are among the victims who have been identified so far, officials said earlier. Nearly 150 people were wounded.
A video posted on Twitter shows the moment one of the Ataturk airport attackers detonated his suicide bomb. The clip, which has no sound, begins with dozens of people milling around as normal. Then they suddenly all begin to run away from something. before a huge blast goes off around them, filling the air with smoke and debris.
Atatürk Havalimanı'nda çekilen görüntülerde canlı bomba saldırısı öncesi insanların ters yöne koştuğu görülüyor. pic.twitter.com/PqPMWvPNre
— 140journos (@140journos) June 29, 2016
The prime minister of Albania, whose plane touched down at Ataturk airport minutes after the attacks that killed 36 and wounded 147, has tweeted his condolences to the victims and their families.
Edi Rama said in a message on Twitter that he felt “deep pity for the lost innocent lives in that barbarous act of those who have neither God or hope nor a place among the people.”
Rama is making an official visit to Turkey with his finance minister, Arben Ahmetaj, and a delegation. He said all of the planned meetings would go ahead.
Keqardhje e thelle per jetet e pafajshme te humbura ne kete tjeter akt barbar te atyre qe s'kane as Zot as shprese dhe as vend mes njerezve!
— Edi Rama (@ediramaal) June 28, 2016
Shares linked to Turkish tourism have fallen on Wednesday morning, as trading begins in London after the deadly attack at Istanbul’s main airport.
The attack is likely to further dent Turkey’s struggling tourism industry, which saw foreign visitors drop more than a third in May for its biggest fall in 22 years.
Shares in airport operator TAV fell more than 3 percent while Pegasus Airlines and Turkish Airlines fell 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent respectively. The Istanbul index lost 0.2 percent though the lira managed to rise 0.5 percent against the dollar.
“On the economic side this will again raise concerns about the tourism sector which is struggling, partly due to security concerns and partly because of Russia,” said William Jackson at Capital Economics, referring to Russian sanctions on Turkey that damaged trade and tourism.
“But the market impact overall is not that significant as there is a general improvement in investor sentiment and some of the Brexit turmoil seems to be fading a bit.”
China has warned its citizens against travelling to Turkey following the airport attack in Istanbul, Tom Phillips reports.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said the government was urging citizens “not to go to Turkey for the time being”. Chinese citizens already in the country should “step up precautions” to ensure their safety.
Hong said no Chinese citizens were known to be among the victims. Beijing “condemns this terror attack in the strongest terms,” he added.
Will Carter, a British aid worker caught up in the attacks in Istanbul last night, gives his account of the ordeal.
One Ukrainian and one Iranian are among the 36 people killed in the Ataturk airport attack, Reuters is quoting Turkish officials as saying.
It’s just a flash so far, we will bring you more information as it comes in. In the meantime, Iran has said it is suspending all flights to Ataturk.
Reza Jafarzadeh, director of the public relations at Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, told the Fars news agency that flights would be suspended until their safety and security can be guaranteed.
Turkish authorities reopened the airport in the early hours of Wednesday, just hours after the attacks which killed 36 people.
Jafarzadeh added that flights might be resumed by later in the afternoon.
Nato stands in solidarity with Turkey, the US.led alliance’s secretary-general has said, as he condemned the “horrific attacks” on Ataturk airport last night. In a statement published on the Nato website, Jens Stoltenberg said:
I strongly condemn the horrific attacks at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport. My thoughts are with the families of the victims, those injured and the people of Turkey.
There can be no justification for terrorism. NATO Allies stand in solidarity with Turkey, united in our determination to fight terrorism in all its forms.
Germany’s top security official meanwhile described the attack as “cowardly and brutal”. In comments carried by the Associated Press, interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said his thoughts were with the victims and their families, and vowed that “we will continue our fight against terrorism together with our allies with full force.”
De Maiziere said in a statement Wednesday he was “deeply shocked by the cowardly and brutal attack on Istanbul’s airport.” He says “terrorism has once again shown its ugly face and innocent people have lost their lives.”
This AP video shows some of the chaotic scenes which followed the attack on Ataturk airport last night. Security has been tightened around the airport, following the attack by suspected Islamic State extremists.
What we know so far
- 36 people are confirmed to have been killed, and 147 injured, in a gun and bombing attack on Istanbul’s Atatürk international airport on Tuesday evening.
- Authorities believe three men armed with Kalashnikov rifles attacked the airport, detonating suicide vests when confronted by police officers.
- No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but Turkey’s prime minister, Binali Yildirim, has said the attack was carried out by Daesh (Islamic State).
- Yildirim said the men caught a taxi to the airport, launching their assault at the international arrivals terminal.
- Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the attack showed “the dark face of terror that targets innocent civilians”:
This attack does not produce any results, it aims to produce propaganda against our country using the blood and pain of innocent people.
- The bombing at Atatürk – Turkey’s largest airport, and the third-busiest in Europe – is the third suicide attack on Istanbul in 2016.
- Atatürk airport has reopened, with incoming and outgoing flights – which were halted in the immediate aftermath of the attack – operating this morning, although many are cancelled or delayed.
It’s 8am in Istanbul and officials have begun assessing the damage caused by the suicide attackers, reports Associated Press:
Workers were brought in to remove debris left by the blast, while in the daylight the damage to the terminal became clearer with even ceiling panels hit.
The airport was partially reopened, with the information board inside the airport showing that about one third of scheduled flights have been cancelled, with a host of others delayed.
Global reaction against the attack has been swift and condemnatory.
Charles Michel, the Belgian prime minister, expressed solidarity following the assault on Brussels airport in March:
Our thoughts are with the victims of the attacks at Istanbul's airport. We condemn these atrocious acts of violence #Istanbul
— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) June 28, 2016
The White House called the attack “heinous”, saying America remained “steadfast in our support for Turkey”.
US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said:
Today’s attack in Istanbul only strengthens our resolve to defeat the forces of terrorism and radical jihadism around the world. We must deepen our cooperation with our allies and partners in the Middle East and Europe to take on this threat.
Republican candidate Donald Trump said:
Our enemies are brutal and ruthless and will do anything to murder those who do not bend to their will. We must take steps now to protect America from terrorists, and do everything in our power to improve our security to keep America safe.
German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said:
We grieve for the victims. We stand by Turkey.
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau tweeted his condolences:
Canada strongly condemns tonight’s deadly attack in Turkey. My thoughts are with the victims as we stand with our allies against terrorism.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 29, 2016
Flights in and out of Atatürk international airport resumed very quickly after the attack, although investigators continue to work at the scene.
Flights between Istanbul and the US was halted for several hours, but the stoppage has now been lifted, according to a US official speaking to Associated Press.
Ten flights that were in the air heading from Turkey to the US at the time of the attacks have all now landed.
Reports from the Dogan news agency, via AP, say that a plane carrying the Albanian prime minister, Edi Rama, was landing at Atatürk at the time of the attack.
Rama, who is on an official visit, has been moved to an official residence, the report said, and will travel later to Ankara.
Brussels airport, which witnessed its own devastating attack in March, has sent its support and condolences:
Our thoughts are with the victims of the attacks at @istanbulairport. We wish them, their relatives & all airport staff strength & courage.
— Brussels Airport (@BrusselsAirport) June 28, 2016
This is Claire Phipps picking up the live blog from Ben Doherty.
The past year has seen a grim toll of suicide attacks in Turkey – many, but not all, attributed to Isis.
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28 June 2016: Suicide attackers killed at least 36 people and wounded more than 140 at Istanbul’s Atatürk airport. Turkish officials said the explosions were probably the work of Islamic State.
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19 March 2016: A suicide bombing rocked Istanbul’s main pedestrian street killing five people, including the bomber, whom authorities identified as a Turkish national linked to Isis. There was no claim of responsibility from the group.
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13 March 2016: A Kurdish woman blew herself up in a car at a busy transport hub in Ankara, killing 37 people in an attack that was also claimed by TAK, also known as the Kurdish Freedom Falcons.
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17 February 2016: A suicide car bomb apparently targeting military personnel in Ankara killed 29 people in an attack claimed by TAK.
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12 January 2016: A suicide bomber blew himself up in the historic district of Istanbul, killing 12 German tourists. Authorities said the attack was carried out by an Isis-linked Syrian man.
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10 October 2015: Twin suicide bombings hit a peace rally outside Ankara’s train station, killing 102 people. There was no claim of responsibility but Turkish authorities blamed the attack on a local cell of Isis.
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20 July 2015: A Turkish national who was an ethnic Kurd blew himself up in in the southern border town of Suruc, killing 33 mostly Kurdish activists and wounding nearly 100 others in an attack authorities blamed on Isis.
Timeline is via Associated Press.
Turkey terror attack: summary
Gunmen armed with kalashnikovs and and suicide vests, stormed the entrance to Istanbul’s Atatürk airport shortly after 9pm on Tuesday, killing 36 people and injuring 147.
Turkey’s prime minister has said the attack was carried out by agents of Daesh -using the Arabic term for Isis - but the terror network has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
At least two gunmen were involved in the assault, but authorities suspect a third man was also involved. The men caught a taxi to the airport, emerging at the international arrivals terminal where they opened fire.
South African tourist Paul Roos described seeing a gunman shooting at at people indiscriminately.
We came right to international departures and saw the man randomly shooting. 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.
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.
Eyewitnesses Describe Chaos at Istanbul Airport.
— VOA Afghanistan (@VOAPashto) June 29, 2016
#Istanbul #istanbulataturkairport pic.twitter.com/JyoxlbSpC2
The terrorists were unable to get past the airport’s x-ray security checkpoint, and became involved in a firefight with security and police.
Several video clips circulating online purport to show the gunmen attacking the airport.
Because of their graphic nature, The Guardian has chosen not to show these, and stresses they have not been verified or corroborated. Sources, however, have told The Guardian that the clips seem authentic.
One graphic piece of footage shows people fleeing a man dressed in black and carrying what appears to be a Kalashnikov, who runs into a hall area, before falling, apparently shot, and dropping his weapon, which slides away from him on the floor.
A man, believed to be a policeman or security official, approaches the prone gunman, appearing to point a gun at him for several seconds. The standing man then runs from the prone bomber who, after several seconds, detonates the explosive vest he is wearing.
The attack on Turkey’s largest airport, and the third-busiest in Europe, is yet another ‘soft’ target attack, following on from the attack on Brussels airport in March which killed 32 people and injured more than 300.
It is also the third attack on Turkey’s biggest city this year.
Istanbul has been on a high security alert for months after three deadly attacks in the city blamed on Islamic State jihadis and the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks, a radical offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ party. Less than a month ago a car suicide bomber killed 12 people and wounded several others in the central Istanbul district of Vezneciler.
In the aftermath of the attack, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the attack showed “the dark face of terror that targets innocent civilians”.
“This attack does not produce any results, it aims to produce propaganda against our country using the blood and pain of innocent people”.
Erdoğan urged the whole world to unite in the fight against terrorism.
“Despite paying a heavy price, Turkey has the power, determination and capacity to continue the fight against terrorism until the end. Today’s attack targeted 79 million Turkish citizens along with 7.5 billion human beings around the world. The bombs that exploded in Istanbul today could have gone off at any airport in any city around the world.
“Make no mistake: For terrorist organizations, there is no difference between Istanbul and London, Ankara and Berlin, Izmir and Chicago, or Antalya and Rome. Unless all governments and the entire[ty of] mankind join forces in the fight against terrorism, much worse things than what we fear to imagine today will come true.”
Speaking at the airport, Turkish prime minister Binali Yildirim said: “our security force’s findings indicate that this terror attack was done by DAESH but we are still working to determine who is behind the attack”.
Yildrim also said it was “noteworthy that this heinous terror attack took place at a time when [Turkey] successfully fights separatist terror and enters a period of normalisation with our neighbours”, an apparent reference to Turkey’s recent rapprochement with Israel and Russia.
Atatürk airport was closed for only a matter of hours before being reopened to flights in and out of the country.
Updated
Departures have resumed from Ataturk Airport
Departures have now also resumed at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport. https://t.co/0TCt9XggHw pic.twitter.com/WhX0L3Odr6
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) June 29, 2016
People on flights that had flown out of Ataturk Airport just before the terror attacks watched coverage of the assault on live TV.
Startled passengers who just got off a flight from #Istanbul share their reactions w/ @Chauncyontv The latest at 10https://t.co/31wIoM9YV7
— Houston News (@abc13houston) June 29, 2016
The BBC’s Turkey correspondent, Mark Lowen, who was stuck with fellow passengers on a plane on the tarmac at Istanbul Airport for several hours, has been allowed off, and to go home.
Scene of attack at #Istanbul airport. I'm finally out and en route home. Thinking of all those who didn't make it pic.twitter.com/qSbyYTEAAG
— Mark Lowen (@marklowen) June 29, 2016
Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport is open for flights in and out. Flights from IST have begun landing across the world.
Retweeted 11Alive News (@11AliveNews):
— MimiMarina@Michelle (@mimimarinajaaf1) June 29, 2016
EMOTIONAL REUNION: inbound flight from #Istanbul lands at @ATLAirport.... https://t.co/D7IdXwYhnp
According to the private Dogan news agency, a plane carrying Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was landing at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport when the attack occurred. He was arriving on an official visit.
The prime minister and his entourage were safely taken to an official residence. The group was to travel later on Wednesday to Turkey’s capital, Ankara.
From Istanbul, The Guardian’s Constanze Letsch reports that while Tuesday night’s attack on Ataturk Airport was the deadliest terror attack in Turkey this year, it was not the first.
Istanbul has been on a high security alert for months after three deadly attacks in the city this year blamed on Islamic State jihadis and the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), a radical offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK). Less than a month ago a car suicide bomber killed 12 people and wounded several others in the central Istanbul district of Vezneciler.
Globally, terror attacks on the ‘soft’ target of airports are common, and increasingly so. Below is a list, not comprehensive, of the major attacks on airports over the past five years.
June 26, 2016 - Three suspected Islamic State group suicide bombers targeted the international terminal of Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, killing at least 36 people and wounding many others, Turkish officials said.
June 12, 2016 - An explosion at a check-in-area of Shanghai’s main international airport injures four people. The blast at Pudong International Airport, China’s second-busiest, was carried out using fireworks stuffed inside empty beer bottles.
March 22, 2016 - 16 people are killed in two suicide bombings as bombs ripped through check-in counters at Brussels Airport. The Islamic State group claims responsibility for the attack. A subsequent explosion at a Brussels subway station killed 16 more people.
March 7 2016 - A bomb explodes in a piece of luggage at an airport in a central Somali town, wounding three people. Somalia’s Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, claim responsibility for the blast.
December 28, 2015 - A suicide car bomb attack killed at least one civilian near the eastern entrance of the Kabul international airport. Another 13 civilians were wounded. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
March 21, 2015 - A machete-wielding man attacks TSA officers at New Orleans’ international airport and is shot and killed. Authorities later said he was carrying a bag loaded with Molotov cocktails. One of the TSA officers was slightly injured.
July 18, 2012 - A bomb explodes on a bus carrying Israeli tourists at the airport in Burgas, Bulgaria, killing five of the tourists, the Bulgarian bus driver and the suicide bomber. Another 35 people are hurt. In 2014, Bulgaria’s interior minister says he is convinced the Shiite militant group Hezbollah was behind the bus bombing.
February 27, 2012 - Suicide car bomber struck at the gates of Jalalabad airport in eastern Afghanistan, killing nine people. The Taliban said the attack on the airport, which serves both civilian and international military aircraft, was revenge for the burning of Muslim holy books at an American military base.
January 24, 2011 - Suicide bomber blew himself up in the international arrivals area of Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, killing 37 people and wounded 180 others and was claimed by Chechen rebels. Russia’s Federal Investigative Committee later identified the suicide bomber as a 20-year-old from the North Caucasus region.
(From Associated Press)
Sympathy and solidarity with Turkey from all over the world...
The news about bombing attack at #Istanbul🇹🇷 airport is devastating. Our thoughts are with victims & their families. pic.twitter.com/24PWbpRhg9
— Kaushal K Vidyarthee (@vidyarthee) June 29, 2016
Our thoughts are with the victims of the attacks at @istanbulairport. √ STOP TERRORISM ! Pray for #istanbul pic.twitter.com/gnZIdks3Zx
— Fucoidan Force™ (@FucoidanForce) June 28, 2016
My heart is with you #Istanbul pic.twitter.com/alBd9rXHTQ
— Enrique Iglesias (@enriqueiglesias) June 28, 2016
3 suicide bombers. 28 people are dead and 60 in hospitals. Terror has no nationality, race or religion. #Istanbul pic.twitter.com/ZoAMrdsmSA
— Begum Genc (@bgmgenc) June 28, 2016
“In one direction there were shots, in the other direction there were bombs. And people ran out as fast as they could. There were people bleeding on the sidewalk.”
Eyewitness accounts of the Ataturk Airport terror attacks, from Voice of America.
Eyewitnesses Describe Chaos at Istanbul Airport.
— VOA Afghanistan (@VOAPashto) June 29, 2016
#Istanbul #istanbulataturkairport pic.twitter.com/JyoxlbSpC2
Many countries have issued updated travel warnings in the wake of the assault on Istanbul’s international airport.
The United States issued an updated travel warning for Turkey, warning of the threat of terrorist attack, two days before the Ataturk Airport assault.
United States of America:
The US State Department issued a new travel warning for Turkey on Monday, June 27, two days before three armed suicide bombers stormed the arrivals hall of the country’s busiest airport.
- The US Department of State warns US citizens of increased threats from terrorist groups throughout Turkey and to avoid travel to southeastern Turkey.
- Foreign and US tourists have been explicitly targeted by international and indigenous terrorist organizations. As stated in the Worldwide Caution dated March 3, 2016, throughout Europe extremists have targeted large sporting events, theatres, open markets, aviation services, transportation systems, and public venues where people congregate as well as religious sites and high-profile events.
- US citizens are reminded to review personal security plans and remain vigilant at all times.
United Kingdom:
The Foreign office has updated its travel advice in the wake of the Istanbul attack, and warns: “the threat from terrorism remains high”.
- Terrorist groups, including Kurdish groups, Daesh (formerly referred to as ISIL) and far left organisations, continue to plan and carry out attacks. Further attacks are likely.
- Terrorist groups, including Daesh and the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), have publicly threatened to attack tourist sites in Turkey.
- You should take extra care in public places – particularly those visited by foreigners. Be vigilant, follow the advice of local security authorities, monitor media reports and keep up to date with this travel advice.
Australia:
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has placed Ankara and Istanbul on the second-highest advice level: reconsider your need to travel
- We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to Ankara and Istanbul because of the high threat of terrorist attack. Pay close attention to your personal security at all times. Monitor the media and other sources about possible new security risks.
- Terrorists maintain an interest in attacking tourist destinations in Turkey. These places include tourist sites in and around Izmir, Antalya, and nearby coastal areas, tourist locations in Istanbul, Ankara and Adana, as well as other locations in Turkey that are frequented by tourists. You should exercise heightened caution in these areas and be vigilant to your personal safety and surroundings.
- We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to any area within 50 kilometres of Turkey’s border with Syria and not to travel within 10 kilometres of the border with Syria or to the city of Diyarbakir due to the threat of terrorist attack and kidnapping associated with the ongoing conflict in Syria. Turkish security forces have a strong presence in these border areas.
What we know so far
- Three gunmen attacked the international terminal of Istanbul’s Atatürk airport on Tuesday evening with AK-47 rifles and suicide bombs, killing at least 36 and injuring 147.
- The Turkish prime minister has said that Islamic State are likely to be behind the attack.
- No one has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet.
- Video apparently showing one of the gunmen being shot by a police officer before detonating his suicide vest has emerged.
- Witnesses have described panic and chaos inside the airport as gunmen, dressed in black, opened fire inside the terminal.
- Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attack should serve as a turning point in the global fight against militant groups.
- Some foreigners are among the victims, but nationalities have not been released.
- The airport has since reopened.
The triple suicide attack in Atatürk airport in Istanbul that killed dozens and wounded scores more may well become the deadliest bombing in Turkey this year – but it is certainly not the first.
Police sources quoted in Turkish media said that the attackers were likely affiliated with the Islamic State terror group. Turkish security forces have recently carried out numerous arrests and raids on the group in the country and at its borders, leading some analysts to speculate that Isis might carry out more retaliatory attacks.
Read the full analysis here.
It seems quite incredible, but Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport is open again...
Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport now operational. #TK25 will be first passenger flight to land. https://t.co/CuilQCnJPn pic.twitter.com/cGH909b26X
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) June 29, 2016
Further to the Prime Minister’s statement:
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim confirmed 36 people have been killed in the attack on Ataturk Airport in Istanbul.
He said the victims include some foreigners and that many of the dozens wounded have minor injuries but others are more badly hurt.
Yildrim said Turkish security forces had advised that Daesh (the Arabic name for Isis) was behind the attack.
But he said the airport had been reopened and air traffic was back to normal from Turkey’s busiest airport.
He also said that it was “noteworthy that this heinous terror attack took place at a time when [Turkey] successfully fights separatist terror and enters a period of normalisation with our neighbours”, an apparent reference to Turkey’s recent rapprochement with Israel and Russia.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has issued a statement condemning the attacks on Turkey.
The Secretary-General condemns today’s terrorist attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport. He expresses his deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of Turkey. He wishes a speedy recovery to those injured.
The Secretary-General hopes that the perpetrators of this crime will be identified and brought to justice. He stands firmly by Turkey as it confronts this threat and stresses the need to intensify regional and international efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism.
Facebook has activated its safety check featurein the wake of the explosions in Instanbul.
The tool lets users who are at or near the site of a natural disaster or terrorist attack mark themselves and others as safe, as well as check if any of their friends have been affected.
Facebook’s Disaster Response page posted a status in relation to the blasts at Ataturk airport:
On Tuesday, June 28 at 11:35pm local time in Turkey, we activated Safety Check after the explosions that took place in Istanbul. Our hearts go out to everyone touched by these tragic events.”
Safety Check is a simple and easy way to say you’re safe and check on others after a crisis or disaster. We hope the people in the area find the tool a helpful way to let friends and family know they are okay.
Facebook uses location services and any registered locations to determine which of its users are in the area, though it has made mistakes in the past.
In March, it asked users all over the world if they’d been affected by the suicide bombing in Pakistan. Some received texts to their phones asking “Have you been affected by the explosion?” without any indication of where the danger was.
The feature was introduced last year, based on a location tool built after the Fukushima tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, with the intention of being used in the case of natural disasters.
The policy surrounding its use was changed after it was activated for the Paris terror attacks.
The people of Pakistan have suffered as greatly from Islamist jihadist terror as any nation on earth. Vigils have been held in that country in solidarity with Turkey tonight.
We extend our profound sympathies & condolences to the victims & their families #Istanbul pic.twitter.com/JpptL1tCNi
— @AWAY (@SOH360) June 28, 2016
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim speaking outside the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul. He confirmed 36 people were killed in the terror assault on the airport Tuesday night, and said security forces have indicated the attack was carried out by Daesh (using the Arabic name for Isis).
The aftermath:
Turkish PM says security forces have indicated the attack was carried out by Daesh, the Arabic name for Isis.
The Turkish Prime Minister has confirmed 36 people have been killed in the attack on Istanbul Ataturk Airport.
Updated
Paul Roos, a 77-year-old South African who was due to fly out to Cape Town with his wife, has described witnessing the gunman shooting at random inside the international terminal. He told Reuters:
We came right to international departures and saw the man randomly shooting. 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.
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.
Response from the US:
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest:
The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today’s heinous terrorist attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport in Turkey, which appears to have killed and injured dozens. Ataturk International Airport, like Brussels Airport which was attacked earlier this year, is a symbol of international connections and the ties that bind us together.
Our deepest condolences go out to the families and loved ones of those killed, and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured. We remain steadfast in our support for Turkey, our NATO ally and partner, along with all of our friends and allies around the world, as we continue to confront the threat of terrorism.
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said the attack in Istanbul airport was a reminder that the United States “cannot retreat”.
Today’s attack in Istanbul only strengthens our resolve to defeat the forces of terrorism and radical jihadism around the world. We must deepen our cooperation with our allies and partners in the Middle East and Europe to take on this threat.
Presumptive Republican Party nominee Donald Trump said “the terrorist threat has never been greater”.
Our enemies are brutal and ruthless and will do anything to murder those who do not bend to their will. We must take steps now to protect America from terrorists, and do everything in our power to improve our security to keep America safe.
Death toll rises
The Guardian has been told by the office of the Turkish justice minister that the number of confirmed dead has now risen to 31. 147 people have been wounded.
Turkey’s state broadcaster TRT is reporting 38 people are dead, including 5 police, and at least 120 are injured.
Figures of those killed and injured are notoriously difficult to ascertain in the hours after an attack of this nature. These numbers are likely to change again.
Footage emerging of attacks...
Several video clips are circulating online purporting to show the airport during and after the attacks.
Because of their graphic nature, The Guardian has chosen not to show these, and stresses they have not been verified or corroborated. Sources, however, have told The Guardian that the clips have verisimilitude.
One graphic piece of footage posted online purports to be of one of the gunmen inside the terminal.
It shows people fleeing a man dressed in black and carrying what appears to be a Kalashnikov, who runs into a hall area, before falling, apparently shot, and dropping his weapon, which slides away from him on the floor.
A man, believed to be a policeman or security official, approaches the prone gunman, appearing to point a gun at him for several seconds. The standing man then runs from the prone bomber who, after several seconds, detonates the explosive vest he is wearing.
A second clip shows people in the aftermath of the attacks huddling at the back of shops, and crouched down, unsure whether the attacks have ended and if it is safe to move.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued a statement, warning that the attack on Turkey’s largest city is an attack on the whole world. He urged all governments and all of humankind to “join forces in the fight against terrorism”.
I strongly condemn the terror attack at Istanbul Ataturk Airport and offer my condolences to the victims’ families and our nation. May Allah bless the souls of everyone who lost their lives in this heinous attack.
The attack, which took place during the holy month of Ramadan, shows that terrorism strikes with no regard for faith and values. Nor do terrorists distinguish between their victims.
We urge the world, especially Western countries, to take a firm stand against terrorism.
Despite paying a heavy price, Turkey has the power, determination and capacity to continue the fight against terrorism until the end. Today’s attack targeted 79 million Turkish citizens along with 7.5 billion human beings around the world. The bombs that exploded in Istanbul today could have gone off at any airport in any city around the world.
Make no mistake: For terrorist organizations, there is no difference between Istanbul and London, Ankara and Berlin, Izmir and Chicago, or Antalya and Rome.
Unless all governments and the entire[ty of] mankind join forces in the fight against terrorism, much worse things than what we fear to imagine today will come true.
The Ataturk Airport attack should serves as a turning point in the fight against terrorism around the world and especially in Western countries.
There is still significant confusion surrounding the attacks on Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport Tuesday. Official reports say 28 people have been killed, and 60 injured, but there are credible reports the death toll is likely to rise.
Three gunmen, believed to be wearing suicide vests, opened fire at the airport’s international terminal on Tuesday evening.
The Guardian’s Constanze Letsch, in Istanbul, and Nicky Woolf, report:
A series of deadly explosions tore through crowds at Istanbul’s Atatürk international airport on Tuesday evening, leaving at least 28 dead and 60 injured in an attack which officials blamed on the Islamic State terror group.
The Associated Press cited an unnamed Turkish official who said that the death toll could be as high as 50.
Shortly before the blasts, assailants armed with AK-47 rifles were involved in an exchange of gunfire with security guards outside the airport’s international terminal, according to officials. The gunmen then detonated what are believed to be suicide bombs.
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