“It became clear with this incident again that terrorism is a global threat”.
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Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for an worldwide “joint fight” against terror following the blasts, which took place in and around the arrivals terminal. Turkish authorities have blamed IS for several major bombings over the past year, including on the capital of Ankara, as well as attacks on tourists in Istanbul. But several officials said the attacks bear the hallmarks of ISIS.
Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters that air traffic has returned to normal and that “our airport has been opened to flights and departures from 02:20 (local time) on”. A message on the website of Turkish Airlines, Turkey’s flagship airline, said “flight operations had been restarted” but advised passengers to double check the status of their flights. “Ataturk International Airport, like Brussels Airport, which was attacked earlier this year, is a symbol of internation connections and the ties that bind us together”.
Officials said 13 of those killed were foreign nationals and the remainder, Turks. “You can hear that people are wailing here”, said Serdar Tatlisu, a relative of a victim.
Writing on Twitter, freelance journalist Mr Nabil said he broke into a hair salon in the airport after the attack began, where he and his wife stayed for 45 minutes, saying they were “sitting ducks waiting to find out who would open the door”. “There were two small explosions and then a large one”.
“I don’t know which way she was running …”
As passengers at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport waited to board their flights Wednesday, workers picked up shattered glass and washed away blood that was barely dry. “In another direction there were bombs, and people ran out as fast as they could, and there were people bleeding on the sidewalk”. “Inside the airport it is bad, you can’t recognise it, the damage is big”, said Ali Tekin, who was at the arrivals hall waiting for a guest when the attack took place.
“Our thoughts are with the victims, and their families and friends”, said Tony Tyler, IATA’s director general and CEO. The attackers had come to the airport by taxi and preliminary findings pointed to Islamic State responsibility.
In the a year ago, both Ankara and Istanbul have seen scores killed in bombings carried out by both IS and Kurdish rebels.
VOA’s Turkish Service also contributed to this report.
A meeting of mourning is to be held near the building of the Turkish Embassy in Moscow on June 29.
“A big blast happened inside the airport”.
In December, Sabiha Gokcen airport in Istanbul was hit by mortar fire claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, killing at least one staff member. Hundreds of passengers who fled the airport in fear were left sitting on the grass outside Tuesday night.
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A suicide bombing rocked Istanbul’s main pedestrian street killing five people, including the bomber, whom authorities identified as a Turkish national linked to IS. “Next flight was next day, but took economy and flew out earlier”.
