Turkish authorities have detained two persons suspected of having links to Tuesday’s deadly attack on Ataturk Airport, the Anadolu News Agency said on Monday.
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The arrests bring to 30 the total number held over the suicide assault, which killed 44 people and injured 240.
“The context with Egypt is different from the approaches undertaken with Russian Federation and Israel”, the Turkish strongman told journalists in comments cited by Dogan news agency.
Officials blamed the attack on the militant “Islamic State” group, but no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
The report came a day after U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said the man who directed the attackers is Akhmed Chatayev, a terrorist from Russia’s North Caucasus region. It said 184 airport victims had been discharged from hospitals so far, including 13 people released Saturday.
On June 28 the terrorists opened fire at people in the Istanbul Ataturk Airport, and then blew themselves up.
The suspects, 11 of them foreigners, were expected in court after being questioned by police, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
The ties between Ankara and Moscow have been tense since last year’s shooting down of a Russian warplane by Turkey.
A suspect identified as Kamil D., also a Russian citizen, denied knowing one of the bombers, who has been identified as Rahim Bulgarov.
“These people are our brothers, we can not accept these decisions by an oppressive regime”.
“As long as the unity and brotherhood continues, we will definitely overcome this terror”, he said. The Sabah newspaper, which is close to the Turkish government, said police had launched a manhunt for him.
“I learned Daesh ideas”.
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Incirlik hosts aircraft from the United States, Germany, Britain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar involved in the US-led air campaign against Islamic State, which has controlled extensive territories along Syria’s border with Turkey.
