Turkish officials have confirmed a terrorist attack has killed 36 people and injured 147 others at Istanbul’s main airport in the international terminal.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim blamed Islamic State for the attack.
One of the suicide bombers “first opened fire with a Kalashnikov then detonated himself” near the entrance.
Istanbul Ataturk is the third largest airport in Europe and a major hub for international travel.
Three bombs went off outside of the airport. Officials said a bomber placed one “outside the terminal on the pavement” while “the other was at the security gate at the entrance to the airport.”
*UPDATE* 6:13PM
Turkey blocks Facebook and Twitter.
*UPDATE* 5:41PM VERY GRAPHIC BELOW!!!
The camera caught a police officer shooting one suicide bomber, who then blew himself up.
*UPDATE* 5:22PM
The governor now says three suicide bombers pulled off the attack.
*UPDATE* 4:37PM
This is allegedly the moment the explosion occurred.
*UPDATE* 4:30PM
Not a shock, but the Turkish government will not allow coverage on the attack. They have done this in the past after terrorist attacks.
People have uploaded pictures and video on social media.
Turkey has experienced numerous terrorist attacks in the last year. In March, an attack from a Kurdish militant group killed 37 people at a bus stop in Ankara.
No terrorist groups have taken responsibility for the attack yet. However, just yesterday, Turkey and Israel healed old wounds and renewed their relationship. The deal means the Turkish government will not enable Hamas to conduct, plan or direct any military activity against Israel. A Hamas official claimed that Erdoğan contacted the terrorist group and said he needed to make the deal “in order to save Turkey’s interests.”
We will update as more information rolls in.
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