Although no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, the Turkish government looks to the Islamic State (ISIS, its acronym in English) as responsible for the slaughter.
What happened?
On Tuesday, police identified two suspects near the floor of the airport from which passengersaccess the arrivals area of the international terminal.Their intention was to pass the security control that gives access to the building.One of them opened fire with a Kalashnikov and the officers responded with gunfire to try to "neutralize." Then one of the suspects set off the explosive charge he was carrying.
A third bomber detonated explosives in airport parking. The governor of Istanbul, Vasip Sahin, said in his briefing to media yesterday that at least three suicide bombers detonated their explosives.
Initial confusion
The attack sparked confusion. At first, the AP agency (Associated Press) raised the death toll to 50, quoting Turkish officials. Subsequently, they corrected and reduced to 31.Hours later, the Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim confirmed the figure of 36 dead, plus the three bombers, and 147 wounded. The Prime Minister also assured that the injured are in serious condition, the death toll could rise in the coming hours.
Who were the attackers?
For the moment, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
However, the Prime Minister has suggested that early indications point to ISIS. "The evidence points to Daesh" (pejorative acronym in Arabic which is also used to refer to the ISIS). The Turkish prime minister has reported that the terrorists arrived by taxi to the airport.The authorities continue to try to identify the attackers.
More than 60 million people pass each year by the Atatürk Airport, which occupies the 11th position in the world ranking by passengers.
During the past year, Turkey, an important NATO ally, has suffered a wave of bombings in Istanbul and Ankara. In a latest series of attacks both the jihadists of ISIS and Kurdish nationalists armed groups have caused more than 250 deaths. Turkey has gone from being an oasis of peace of the Middle East to a hub of tension.
