Three suicide bombers opened fire then blew themselves up in Istanbul’s main international Ataturk airport yesterday, killing 36 people and wounding close to 150 in what Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, said appeared to have been an attack by Islamic State militants.
One attacker opened fire in the departures hall with an automatic rifle, sending passengers diving for cover and for their life, before they blew themselves up around the arrivals hall, witnesses have said.
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 Europe’s third busiest airports and also one of the fastest-growing in the world; with many connecting and direct flights to and from Athens.
Turkey has been a transit point for foreign fighters entering Syria through its borders and opposes the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, but has also been concerned about the growing prominence of Kurdish fighters in Syria who are fighting Assad. Some of the rebels fighting in Syria have ties to Kurdish groups in Turkey.
Flights to and from Ataturk International Airport are resuming slowly but for anyone with any concerns travelling to or through Turkey, check out your local government websites.
UK: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/turkey
Australia: smartraveller.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx
U.S: travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go.html
