Dozens killed in Turkish airport suicide bombing
A TRIPLE suicide bombing at Istanbul airport last night left at least 31 dead and more than 147 injured in a suspected Isil attack.
A Turkish official later said that the death toll was expected to rise.
The bombers detonated explosive vests in the arrivals hall at Ataturk, which is the third busiest airport in Europe.
They had been trying to pass through X-ray machines and began shooting with AK47 rifles after they were stopped by security officials. Officers returned fire.
A policeman tried to wrestle to the ground one of the gunmen, who blew himself up in a bombing co-ordinated with two other suspects.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility, but Turkish police reportedly said it appeared that Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was behind the attack.
The terror group had called for attacks during the holy month of Ramadan, and has focused attention on Turkey, which is currently bidding to join the EU.
A British Airways flight was turned back mid-air after news of the bombing. Foreign Office officials said last night they were “urgently seeking further information” following the attack.
A Turkish official said the “vast majority” of casualties were Turkish but also included “some foreigners”.
As many as 2.5 million Britons travel to Turkey each year, although the number of tourists is thought to have declined in recent months following a spate of Isil attacks in the country.
David Cameron described the terrorist attack as “hideous”. The Prime Minister said the UK would continue to work with the other countries after Brexit on “keeping our countries safe, keeping our people safe – and it’s particularly important to say that tonight again when there has been another hide- ous terrorist attack in Turkey”.
Footage showed children and parents crouched among debris on the floor as screams were heard.
A German tourist, who was at passport control entering Turkey, said she threw herself on to the floor at the sound of the explosion.
“Everyone started running away. Everywhere was covered with blood and body parts,” she said.
A POLICE officer at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport wrestled one of the suspected suicide bombers to the ground yesterday, in a desperate attempt to stop him detonating his suicide vest.
It would prove in vain, as seconds later the man, and at least one other, would blow themselves up in a coordinated attack which left at least 31 people dead and 147 wounded. Officials also suggested that the death toll could rise further.
Turkish police reportedly stated last night that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) group was behind the attack, although officials said it was too early to confirm any links.
The bombers had managed to make it to the X-ray scanners at the arrivals hall of Istanbul’s main international airport, Europe’s third busiest.
“A man ran up and ripped open his jacket, showing a bomb vest,” Veysel Allay, who was waiting for a friend at arrivals told The Daily Telegraph last night. “I ran before he did anything.”
Jim Hyong Lee, who was about to return to South Korea with his two children and wife, said they heard gunshots when they were checking in. “I grabbed my family and ran. Someone waved us into the prayer room and hid us there until the police came,” he said.
Footage from the airport showed terrified children and parents crouched among debris on the floor as screams were heard in the background.
With more than 62 million travelling through the airport each year, ques- tions will be raised over Turkey’s ability to keep tourists safe.
Turkey, which is currently bidding for EU membership, has suffered a spate of attacks in recent months, including a bombing in the heart of Istanbul’s tourist district that killed a dozen German visitors and was blamed on Isil.
The country is struggling to contain the spillover of the civil war in neighbouring Syria and is fighting an insurgency from Kurdish militant groups.
The attacks have increased in scale and frequency, scaring off tourists and hurting the economy, which relies heavily on tourism revenues. British visitors, who used to number some 2.5 million in Turkey each year, have largely stayed away in recent months.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but officials said the blasts bore the hallmarks of an Isil attack and appeared similar to the bombings at Brussels’s Zaventern airport in March.
President Recept Tayyip Erdogan claimed the attack was aimed at undermining Turkey. “It is clear that this attack is not aimed at achieving any result but only to create propaganda material against our country using simply the blood and pain of innocent people,” he said.
Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary, said he was “shocked by the attack” adding: “Thoughts are with those affected. We stand ready to help.”
Meanwhile, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican US presidential candidate, seized on the attack to attempt to press his proposed ban on Muslims, stating “the terrorist threat has never been greater”.