Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said that initial indications suggest the Daesh terror group was behind the attack but the investigation is still underway.
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Authorities are under pressure to convince visitors that Turkey is still safe, as the vital tourism industry has taken a heavy hit from a string of deadly attacks in the past year.
The governorate said 184 airport victims have been discharged from hospitals so far, including 13 people released on Saturday.
-We’re live-blogging what’s happening, and you can read how it unfolded below.
He noted that Istanbul has been a crossroad of many people including millions of refugees fleeing Syria and other conflicts, and highlighted the need for all peoples security and safety.
Turkish authorities have banned distribution of images relating to the Ataturk airport attack within Turkey.
Three of the apprended were foreingers, the Hurriyet daily said.
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, told CNN that Akhmed Chatayev directed the attack. “Horrified by tonight’s attack at Atatürk airport”. The boy’s mother died Wednesday, officials said.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, Turkish officials believe the Islamic State is behind the carnage.
CBS News has learned that there had been ISIS “chatter” in recent months indicating that the group was intent on targeting transportation hubs in Turkey – including Ataturk Airport. As Bayoudh waited there inside the airport, after spending weeks in the city searching for answers about his son’s whereabouts, three terrorists began unloading gunfire on unsuspecting victims and detonating suicide vests. In March, suicide bombers killed 16 people and injured many more at Zaventem airport in Brussels. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the coordinated attacks. Meanwhile, the U.S. President Barack Obama was also briefed on the attack.
Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Ministry late on June 30 said that Kyrgyz diplomats in Turkey had met with Istanbul security department officials that said the information reported by the media was premature and unconfirmed until the official announcement of results of DNA and other biological and chemical tests. “We mourn with the families of those lost, and pray for speedy recovery for those wounded”, he said.
Anadolu, the state-run news agency, quoted Vasip Sahin, Istanbul’s governor, as saying three suicide bombers were involved in the attack. The death toll excludes the three suicide bombers.
Asked about the possible involvement of a Russian in the attacks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had no information on the issue. Bayoudh was one of at least 41 people killed. A group known as the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) claimed responsibility. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quick to call for Bashar al-Assad’s ouster soon after the conflict began more than five years ago. This has also allowed some members of the Islamic State to cross over and operate inside the country.
Adding to the list of enemies, Turkey resumed hostilities with the PKK – Kurdish militant separatists – previous year after a ceasefire broke down. IS this week boasted to have cells in Turkey, among other countries. One of the attackers blew himself up outside the airport terminal, while the other two detonated explosives inside Ataturk Airport.
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Police officers patrol at the country’s largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, following yesterday’s blast in Istanbul, Turkey, June 29, 2016.
