Istanbul airport attack leaves 42 dead, 147 injuredFeatured

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TERRORISM// Gunshots, screams and explosions were heard at the Istanbul Ataturk Airport in Turkey on Tuesday June 28 as three terrorists armed with bombs and guns killed at least 42 people including 13 foreign nationals (at the time of going to press). Witnesses described deadly carnage and crowds in a panic as the attackers struck one of the world’s busiest airports. An additional 147 people were wounded, Turkey’s Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Video from inside the terminal showed people fleeing and the bright orange flash of fire from one of the explosions. Another video showed a man walking with a gun, which he drops when he’s apparently shot by a security officer. The man slumps to the ground and the officer briefly stands over him before running. About 10 seconds later, there was an explosion. Of the three bombers in the airport attack, two were at the international terminal, and the third terrorist was in the nearby parking lot, as per reports. All three detonated suicide vests. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a unified international fight against terrorism. The airport was closed overnight for several hours, and flights into the airport had been diverted to the capital of Ankara and other cities. The governor’s office also said at least 239 people were wounded in the attack, and that 109 of those had been discharged from hospital by early on Wednesday afternoon. In a press conference in Istanbul on Tuesday night, 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 2.22 am local time air traffic was “back to normal and flights are resumed”. After the three attackers arrived at the Turkish transit hub via taxi, one of the assailants entered the terminal, began shooting people and then blew himself up near X-ray machines, officials said. During the chaos, a second attacker rushed to the departures level and detonated his explosives. The third attacker waited outside during the entire episode, blowing himself up as scared travelers frantically flooded out of the airport.

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