36 dead, over 140 wounded in multiple suicide blasts at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport

ISTANBUL: At least 36 people were killed and over 140 injured when as many as three suicide bombers detonated themselves at  Istanbul's  Ataturk Airport on Tuesday night.

What do we know so far?

• Attackers used a taxi to reach the airport


• 3 bombers were involved in the attack


• Before the suicide blasts, one attacker opened fire at the public


• Police tried to stop at least two attackers, however, they successfully detonated themselves at the entrance


• Foreigners are also among the dead, while the number casualties may increase due to the large number of injured


• Turkish President Erdogan has claimed that Islamic State was behind the attack


• US counter-terrorism officials also said ISIS was a top suspect


• Turkish investigators say PKK militants target government officials only, hence IS is the most probable preparater of the attacks


• The airport has been reopened

Original Story: Witnesses reported hearing two explosions, followed by gunfire and a third blast at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul.

The blasts occurred in the airport’s International Arrivals Terminal, according to Turkish media.

Police fired shots to try to stop two of the attackers just before they reached a security checkpoint at the arrivals hall, but they detonated their explosives at the entrance, a Turkish official said.

More than a dozen ambulances raced to the international terminal of the airport, CNN said. Most of those killed were Turkish nationals but foreigners were also among the dead and injured.

Following the deadly blasts, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged the world to stand firm against terrorism of all kinds and support Turkey in this fight. Turkey has been targeted while it is involved in the fight against Islamic State militant group in Syria, he added.

He vowed to hunt down every single perpetrator to bring justice to the victims.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim termed the attack as a deliberate attempt to target innocent people.

US counter-terrorism officials familiar with the early stages of investigations agreed with the Turkish stance that Islamic State was at the top of the list of suspects, despite the fact that there was no evidence yet.

The airport was closed overnight for several hours, and flights were diverted to Ankara and other cities, however, the airport was reopened early the next morning.

Videos showing the aftermath of the blasts:

Picture of the terminal after one of the blast, damage suggest powerful blast rather than a grenade #Istanbul pic.twitter.com/3sRSe7lP5a

— Michael Horowitz (@michaelh992) June 28, 2016

TURKEY: BREAKING: Explosions, gunshots at Ataturk international Airport in Istanbul, Turkey's biggest airport. VIDEO pic.twitter.com/waIvAPzPlu

— KolHaolam (@KolHaolam) June 28, 2016