SOURCE: KVNU
URL:
http://www.610kvnu.com/world/b55926b44e4c4bc8939637cfd58387b1
At least 36 people have been killed and 147 others injured following a terrorist attack at an international airport in Istanbul, according to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.
In a press conference, Yildirim said all signs point to ISIS being responsible for the attack. Three attackers carrying weapons arrived in a taxi to Istanbul's Ataturk airport, one of the world's busiest airports.
Among the wounded are foreign nationals and police officers, Yildirim said. The airport has since been reopened.
There was no security lapse at the airport, Yildirim said. An airport security officer told ABC News that the first attacker tried to enter the airport with a gun, but was spotted as he went through security at the entrance of the airport.
Once he was spotted, he started to shoot and was then shot by officers. During the commotion, the second attacker began to shoot before blowing himself up, while the third attacker ran outside of the building and blew himself up just outside the airport in a place where taxis were waiting to transport passengers, the security officer said.
A total of 49 ambulances were sent to the airport, according to Turkey's Health Ministry.
The attack took place around 10 p.m. local time, a busy time for the airport, with flights arriving from Europe and leaving for the Persian Gulf and other parts of the region.
Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a statement condemning the attack that "has no objective." The president also said the attack shows "terrorism strikes with no regard for faith and values," since it occurred during the holy month of Ramadan.
"We expect the international community, especially the Western countries including their administrations, parliaments, media organs and civil societies, to take a firm stand against terrorism," Erdogan said.
A senior U.S. official announced shortly after the attack that all scheduled flights to and from Istanbul have been suspended. Turkey's Ataturk airport is the 11th largest airport in the world, serving 61.8 million total passengers in 2015.
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