36 Dead, 120 Injured After Suicide Bombers Attacked Istanbul Airport; ISIS Role Suspected

Three suicide bombers opened fire then blew themselves up in Istanbul’s main international airport on June 28, killing 36 people and wounding over 120.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said it appeared to have been an attack by ISIS terrorists.

Three attackers opened fire in the departures hall with an automatic rifle, sending passengers diving for cover and trying to flee, before all three blew themselves up in or around the arrivals hall a floor below, officials said.

A video shows suspected bomber being shot before detonating himself:

@sahmetsahmet @ceydak İşte o anlar. Orda o polis bombacıyı vurmasa belki daha kötü şeyler olacaktı. pic.twitter.com/XaIWUGTBUF

— 13yasindemilliiolann (@gskraliddaaci06) June 28, 2016

The attack on Europe’s third-busiest airport is one of the deadliest and co-ordinated attack series of suicide bombings in Turkey.

The vast majority of those killed were Turkish nationals but foreigners were also among the dead, the official said.

Ataturk airport was long seen as a vulnerable target, as there are X-ray scanners at the entrance to the terminal but security checks for cars are limited.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attack should serve as a turning point in the global fight against militant groups.

The attackers arrived in a taxi before the attack and there was no lapse in airport security, according to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

The US called the attack “heinous”, and said saying America remained “steadfast in our support for Turkey, its NATO ally”.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed the need to intensify global efforts to combat extremism.

All flights to Istanbul are being diverted to Ankara or Izmir.

The U.S. Embassy in Turkey has issued a travel warning for the country.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “The attack, which took place during the holy month of Ramadan, shows that terrorism strikes with no regard for faith and values. Nor do terrorists distinguish between their victims.”

An eyewitness described the event and said one of the attackers was “randomly shooting” in the departures hall.

“He was just firing at anyone coming in front of him. He was wearing all black. His face was not masked.”