Terror Attack On Istanbul Ataturk Airport Leaves 41 Dead & 239 Injured

Three suspected ISIS suicide bombers, on Tuesday, opened fire and blew themselves up in Ataturk Airport, Istanbul, killing 41 people and wounding 239.

According to BBC News, the attackers armed with AK-47 rifles opened fire on the terminal entrance of the airport after arriving in a taxi. They became involved in a gun battle with security and police near the airport’s x-ray security checkpoint.

A statement from the Istanbul governor’s office confirmed that 23 Turks, 10 foreigners and three dual nationals were among the dead. Turkish officials said five Saudis, two Iraqis, an Iranian, a Chinese, a Jordanian, a Tunisian, an Uzbek and a Ukrainian were killed in the attack. Five policemen were also confirmed dead.

The governor’s office also confirmed that at least 239 people were wounded in the attack, and 109 of them had been discharged from hospital by early on Wednesday afternoon.

Decrying the deadliest attack on Turkey this year, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on all governments, especially in the West, to join forces in taking a “firm stand against terror”.

He said, “The bombs that exploded in Istanbul today could have gone off at any airport in any city around the world. Make no mistake: for terrorist organisations there is no difference between Istanbul and London, Ankara and Berlin, Izmir and Chicago or Antalya and Rome.

“Unless all government and the entire mankind join forces in the fight against terrorism, much worse things than what we fear to imagine today will come true.”

Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images