Terrorist attack on Istanbul airport leaves 41 dead
A terrorist attack on Ataturk airport in the Turkish city of Istanbul has left at least 41 dead and over 140 injured, according to officials. At the time of writing, the death toll is still rising.
Three attackers arrived at the airport in a taxi late on 28 June and started firing AK-47s at the terminal entrance. After police in the airport started to return fire, the terrorists detonated suicide bombs inside the building. No organisation has yet taken responsibility for the attack, but officials are pointing towards either Kurdish separatists or the so-called Islamic State.
The airport, which is the third busiest in Europe in terms of passenger traffic, has long been seen as a vulnerable target, according to reports. Flights in and out of the airport have been suspended since the attack, with about one third now cancelled.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on all governments to join forces and take ‘a firm stand against terror’: “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.”
The attacks are another blow to tourism in Turkey, which, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), contributed to 13 per cent of the country’s GDP in 2015. The president and CEO of the WTTC strongly condemned the attacks, stating: “Again we find ourselves having to express condolences to victims of a horrendous act of terrorism. The council stands behind the Turkish government in managing this devastating incident.”