Yesterday three suicide bombers attacked Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, a major world transit hub, killing at least 41 people and injuring over 230 others.
The suicide bombers were apprehended before they passed the first of two security checkpoints at the airport’s international terminal when they started firing at security police. Security fired on them in an attempt to stop them, but all three managed to trigger their explosives.
After the bombs went off the outside of the airport became a scene of mayhem and destruction as people tried to flee.
İstanbul Atatürk Havalimanı’ndaki patlama anı kamerada https://t.co/er3zBIGKuB pic.twitter.com/UGnpWEyjgV
— BirGün Gazetesi (@BirGun_Gazetesi) June 28, 2016
Huge numbers of passengers stranded outside Ataturk pic.twitter.com/E5w4jRJI9N
— Borzou Daragahi (@borzou) June 28, 2016
This attack will mark the 8th major terrorist attack in Turkey in the last 12 months. The last attack, a car bomb, killed 11 people and wounded 36. Over 200 people have been killed in these terrorist attacks. The groups responsible have either been ISIS or the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). So far no one has claimed responsibility for the Istanbul attack.
Travel warnings have been issued for U.S. citizens, warning them to avoid travel to the southeast due to “Europe extremists hav[ing[ targeted large sporting events, theatres, open markets, aviation services, transportation systems, and public venues where people congregate as well as religious sites and high-profile events.” Flights in and out of Istanbul airport have resumed, but many have been delayed or cancelled altogether.
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