Teh One Who Knocks
06-29-2016, 10:38 AM
FOX News and The Associated Press
http://i.imgur.com/FHs7pqF.jpg
Turkish Prime Miniser Binali Yildirim said in a statement Wednesday that air traffic had returned to normal and “our airport has been opened to flights and departures from 2:20 (local time) on,” following the terror attack at an Istanbul airport that left 41 dead and 239 injured.
Turkish officials began assessing the damage caused by the attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport. Workers were brought in to remove debris left by the blast, while in the daylight the devastation to the terminal became clearer.
Istanbul governor’s office amended the death toll and the number of those who were wounded in the attack Wednesday.
Suspected Islamic State suicide bombers committed the atrocity Tuesday night. However, no terror group had immediately claimed responsibility for the bombings.
A Turkish official told the Associated Press that initial indications suggested ISIS were behind the attack. According to Reuters, a police source also told the Dogan News Agency, "ISIS is behind the attack."
"The findings of our security forces point at the Daesh organization as the perpetrators of this terror attack," Yildirim told reporters at the airport, using the Arabic name for ISIS. "Even though the indications suggest Daesh, our investigations are continuing."
A U.S. government official told Fox News that the attack fits the profile of ISIS, which has stepped up its targeting of Turkey. The official said that ISIS tends to attack internationally known targets with an economic impact, such as an airport, while the Kurdish terror group PKK generally targets Turkish military and law enforcement.
Accounts of how the attack took place were still being sorted out.
A Turkish official told the Associated Press authorities are going through CCTV footage and eyewitness statements to establish a timeline and details of the attack. “"It is a jigsaw puzzle" said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.
The Haber Turk newspaper reported that one attacker blew himself up outside the terminal, then two others opened fire at the point where the X-ray machines are. One attacker was shot at while running amid fleeing passengers, then blew himself up at the exit. The third attacker went up one level to where the international departures terminal is, was shot by police and blew himself up.
Airport surveillance video posted on social media showed the moment of one blast, a huge ball of fire, and passengers fleeing in terror. Another appeared to show an attacker, felled by a gunshot from a security officer, blowing himself up seconds later.
The U.S. official told Fox News that the apparent coordination among the suicide bombers also points to an ISIS operation, as does its resemblance to the March bombings in Brussels, which killed 32 people.
The recent attacks on a key partner in the U.S.-led coalition against IS and a NATO member have increased in scale and frequency. They have scared away tourists and hurt the Turkish economy, which relies heavily on tourism.
Earlier, the hundreds of passengers who fled the airport in fear were left sitting on the grass outside. Several ambulances drove back and forth, and security vehicles surrounded the scene.
Adam Keally, from Boston, said he heard gunfire followed by several explosions, then saw people "very badly injured."
Hevin Zini, 12, had just arrived from Duesseldorf, Germany, with her family and was in tears.
"There was blood on the ground," she told AP. "Everything was blown up to bits... if we had arrived two minutes earlier, it could have been us."
Two South African tourists, Paul and Susie Roos from Cape Town, were at the airport and due to fly home at the time of the explosions.
"We came up from the arrivals to the departures, up the escalator when we heard these shots going off," Paul Roos told the Associated Press. "There was this guy going roaming around, he was dressed in black and he had a handgun."
Veysel Allay, who was waiting for a friend in the arrivals terminal, told the Daily Telegraph, "A man ran up and ripped open his jacket, showing a bomb vest. I ran before he did anything."
Jim Hyong Lee of South Korea told the Telegraph he and his family were checking in for a flight home when "we heard gunshots."
"I grabbed my family and ran," Lee said. "Someone waved us into the prayer room and hid us there until the police came."
A State Department spokesman told Fox News late Tuesday that it was still trying to determine whether Americans were victims in the attack and urged Americans in Turkey to contact family members immediately.
A Turkey official announced Wednesday that 23 Turkish citizens and 13 foreign nationals were among those dead in the attack.
Saudi Arabia's Embassy in Turkey said at least seven Saudis were injured in the attack and all are in stable condition.
One Iranian and one Ukrainian were identified as victims in the attack early Wednesday.
U.S. and world leaders immediately offered condolences following the attack.
In the U.S., President Obama was briefed about the attack by Lisa Monaco, his homeland security and counterterrorism adviser. A statement from the White House Tuesday condemned the attack "in the strongest possible terms."
"We remain steadfast in our support for Turkey, our NATO Ally and partner, along with all of our friends and allies around the world, as we continue to confront the threat of terrorism," the statement said.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement that the Justice Department and FBI "have offered assistance to our Turkish counterparts as needed." A law enforcement source told Fox News that FBI assets had not been sent to Istanbul as of Tuesday evening.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign released a statement saying, "The terrorist threat has never been greater ... We must take steps now to protect America from terrorists, and do everything in our power to improve our security to keep America safe."
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton released a statement saying the attack "only strengthens our resolve to defeat the forces of terrorism and radical jihadism around the world. And it reminds us that the United States cannot retreat."
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said on Twitter: "Our thoughts are with the victims of the attacks at Istanbul's airport. We condemn these atrocious acts of violence."
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said his thoughts were with the victims and their families, and vowed that "we will continue our fight against terrorism together with our allies with full force."
De Maiziere said in a statement he was "deeply shocked by the cowardly and brutal attack on Istanbul's airport."
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, whose plane landed in Istanbul minutes after the attacks on Istanbul's airport, has expressed his condolences to the victims. Rama said in a message on Twitter that he felt "deep pity for the lost innocent lives in that barbarous act of those who have neither God or hope nor a place among the people."
Offering condolences, French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called the attack “odious and cowardly” and assured that France "is at Turkey's side in the fight against terrorism."
Turkey has stepped up controls at airports and land borders and deported thousands of foreign fighters, but has struggled to tackle the threat of IS militants while also conducting vast security operations against Kurdish rebels, who have also been blamed for recent deadly attacks.
The devastation at Istanbul's airport follows the March attack on Brussels Airport, where two suicide bombings ripped through check-in counters, killing 16 people. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for that attack, as well as a subsequent explosion at a Brussels subway station that killed 16 more people.
Turkish airports have security checks at both the entrance of terminal buildings and then later before entry to departure gates.
Istanbul's Ataturk Airport was the 11th busiest airport in the world last year, with 61.8 million passengers, according to Airports Council International. It is also one of the fastest-growing airports in the world, seeing 9.2 percent more passengers last year than in 2014.
The largest carrier at the airport is Turkish Airlines, which operates a major hub there. Low-cost Turkish carrier Onur Air is the second-largest airline there.
http://i.imgur.com/FHs7pqF.jpg
Turkish Prime Miniser Binali Yildirim said in a statement Wednesday that air traffic had returned to normal and “our airport has been opened to flights and departures from 2:20 (local time) on,” following the terror attack at an Istanbul airport that left 41 dead and 239 injured.
Turkish officials began assessing the damage caused by the attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport. Workers were brought in to remove debris left by the blast, while in the daylight the devastation to the terminal became clearer.
Istanbul governor’s office amended the death toll and the number of those who were wounded in the attack Wednesday.
Suspected Islamic State suicide bombers committed the atrocity Tuesday night. However, no terror group had immediately claimed responsibility for the bombings.
A Turkish official told the Associated Press that initial indications suggested ISIS were behind the attack. According to Reuters, a police source also told the Dogan News Agency, "ISIS is behind the attack."
"The findings of our security forces point at the Daesh organization as the perpetrators of this terror attack," Yildirim told reporters at the airport, using the Arabic name for ISIS. "Even though the indications suggest Daesh, our investigations are continuing."
A U.S. government official told Fox News that the attack fits the profile of ISIS, which has stepped up its targeting of Turkey. The official said that ISIS tends to attack internationally known targets with an economic impact, such as an airport, while the Kurdish terror group PKK generally targets Turkish military and law enforcement.
Accounts of how the attack took place were still being sorted out.
A Turkish official told the Associated Press authorities are going through CCTV footage and eyewitness statements to establish a timeline and details of the attack. “"It is a jigsaw puzzle" said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.
The Haber Turk newspaper reported that one attacker blew himself up outside the terminal, then two others opened fire at the point where the X-ray machines are. One attacker was shot at while running amid fleeing passengers, then blew himself up at the exit. The third attacker went up one level to where the international departures terminal is, was shot by police and blew himself up.
Airport surveillance video posted on social media showed the moment of one blast, a huge ball of fire, and passengers fleeing in terror. Another appeared to show an attacker, felled by a gunshot from a security officer, blowing himself up seconds later.
The U.S. official told Fox News that the apparent coordination among the suicide bombers also points to an ISIS operation, as does its resemblance to the March bombings in Brussels, which killed 32 people.
The recent attacks on a key partner in the U.S.-led coalition against IS and a NATO member have increased in scale and frequency. They have scared away tourists and hurt the Turkish economy, which relies heavily on tourism.
Earlier, the hundreds of passengers who fled the airport in fear were left sitting on the grass outside. Several ambulances drove back and forth, and security vehicles surrounded the scene.
Adam Keally, from Boston, said he heard gunfire followed by several explosions, then saw people "very badly injured."
Hevin Zini, 12, had just arrived from Duesseldorf, Germany, with her family and was in tears.
"There was blood on the ground," she told AP. "Everything was blown up to bits... if we had arrived two minutes earlier, it could have been us."
Two South African tourists, Paul and Susie Roos from Cape Town, were at the airport and due to fly home at the time of the explosions.
"We came up from the arrivals to the departures, up the escalator when we heard these shots going off," Paul Roos told the Associated Press. "There was this guy going roaming around, he was dressed in black and he had a handgun."
Veysel Allay, who was waiting for a friend in the arrivals terminal, told the Daily Telegraph, "A man ran up and ripped open his jacket, showing a bomb vest. I ran before he did anything."
Jim Hyong Lee of South Korea told the Telegraph he and his family were checking in for a flight home when "we heard gunshots."
"I grabbed my family and ran," Lee said. "Someone waved us into the prayer room and hid us there until the police came."
A State Department spokesman told Fox News late Tuesday that it was still trying to determine whether Americans were victims in the attack and urged Americans in Turkey to contact family members immediately.
A Turkey official announced Wednesday that 23 Turkish citizens and 13 foreign nationals were among those dead in the attack.
Saudi Arabia's Embassy in Turkey said at least seven Saudis were injured in the attack and all are in stable condition.
One Iranian and one Ukrainian were identified as victims in the attack early Wednesday.
U.S. and world leaders immediately offered condolences following the attack.
In the U.S., President Obama was briefed about the attack by Lisa Monaco, his homeland security and counterterrorism adviser. A statement from the White House Tuesday condemned the attack "in the strongest possible terms."
"We remain steadfast in our support for Turkey, our NATO Ally and partner, along with all of our friends and allies around the world, as we continue to confront the threat of terrorism," the statement said.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement that the Justice Department and FBI "have offered assistance to our Turkish counterparts as needed." A law enforcement source told Fox News that FBI assets had not been sent to Istanbul as of Tuesday evening.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign released a statement saying, "The terrorist threat has never been greater ... We must take steps now to protect America from terrorists, and do everything in our power to improve our security to keep America safe."
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton released a statement saying the attack "only strengthens our resolve to defeat the forces of terrorism and radical jihadism around the world. And it reminds us that the United States cannot retreat."
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said on Twitter: "Our thoughts are with the victims of the attacks at Istanbul's airport. We condemn these atrocious acts of violence."
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said his thoughts were with the victims and their families, and vowed that "we will continue our fight against terrorism together with our allies with full force."
De Maiziere said in a statement he was "deeply shocked by the cowardly and brutal attack on Istanbul's airport."
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, whose plane landed in Istanbul minutes after the attacks on Istanbul's airport, has expressed his condolences to the victims. Rama said in a message on Twitter that he felt "deep pity for the lost innocent lives in that barbarous act of those who have neither God or hope nor a place among the people."
Offering condolences, French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called the attack “odious and cowardly” and assured that France "is at Turkey's side in the fight against terrorism."
Turkey has stepped up controls at airports and land borders and deported thousands of foreign fighters, but has struggled to tackle the threat of IS militants while also conducting vast security operations against Kurdish rebels, who have also been blamed for recent deadly attacks.
The devastation at Istanbul's airport follows the March attack on Brussels Airport, where two suicide bombings ripped through check-in counters, killing 16 people. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for that attack, as well as a subsequent explosion at a Brussels subway station that killed 16 more people.
Turkish airports have security checks at both the entrance of terminal buildings and then later before entry to departure gates.
Istanbul's Ataturk Airport was the 11th busiest airport in the world last year, with 61.8 million passengers, according to Airports Council International. It is also one of the fastest-growing airports in the world, seeing 9.2 percent more passengers last year than in 2014.
The largest carrier at the airport is Turkish Airlines, which operates a major hub there. Low-cost Turkish carrier Onur Air is the second-largest airline there.