The Istanbul bombing was followed by major attacks in Bangladesh, Iraq and Saudi Arabia in the past week, all apparently timed for the run-up to Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the holiday marking the end of the Ramadan holy fasting month.
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President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has sent a condolence message to the Government and people of the Republic of Turkey, following the deadly terror attack at the Istanbul Ataturk Airport late Tuesday, June 28.
Two of the men targeted the worldwide terminal building, and the third one gunned down people at the parking lot.
Thirteen other suspects, three of them foreigners, were remanded by a court on Sunday pending trial.
One of Tuesday’s suicide bombers is said to have been from Kyrgyztan, while the other two were understood to be of Russian or Uzbek origin.
Turkish authorities said the three attackers came from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Russian Federation.
Turkey has been rocked by a series of attacks over the past year, blamed on both IS jihadists and Kurdish rebels.
There has been speculation that Akhmed Chatayev, a Chechen extremist known to to be a top lieutenant in the IS militant group, may have masterminded the attack, but Turkish officials haven’t confirmed his involvement. He is identified on a United Nations sanctions list as an Islamic State leader responsible for training Russian-speaking militants.
They blew themselves up after police fired back. May they excuse us, ‘ ” the presidency quoted Erdoğan as saying in the letter, adding that he also urged Putin to restore the previous friendly relations between the two countries.
Russia and Turkey have started mending ties after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented on the eve of the airport attack apologies to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for a Russian jet downed by Turkey in November previous year.
“I learned Daesh ideas”.
In total, 29 suspects have been detained in connection to the attack, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.
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Turkey is a member of a US-led coalition fighting against Islamic State.
