Istanbul Airport Reopens after Terror Attack Leaves 41 Dead, Over 230 Injured

Image: PHOTO: Ataturk Airport, Istanbul (photo courtesy Thinkstock)
Image: PHOTO: Ataturk Airport, Istanbul (photo courtesy Thinkstock)
Donald Wood
by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:30 AM ET, Wed June 29, 2016

Photo courtesy of Thinkstock

On Wednesday, the Istanbul Ataturk Airport reopened after the facility was attacked by terrorists, leaving 41 people dead and at least another 230 injured.

According to NBCNews.com, Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told local media that three terrorists arrived in a cab at the Istanbul airport and carried out a coordinated terror attack which included setting off at least two explosions and opening fire on travelers and employees.

Of the 41 people killed in the attacks, at least 10 were foreigners and three were dual nationals. As for the injured, 109 of the more than 230 victims have already been released from local hospitals. News outlets reported that taxis at the airport at the time of the attack began taking the wounded to local hospitals to assist emergency personnel.

Prime Minister Yildirim acknowledged there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but he believes ISIS was to blame. An intelligence official from the United States agreed that the attack fit the ISIS profile.

"The bombs that exploded in Istanbul today could have gone off at any airport in any city," Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement. "Make no mistake: For terrorist organizations, there is no difference between Istanbul and London, Ankara and Berlin, Izmir and Chicago."

No details were made available regarding how the airport has stepped up security in the wake of the attacks, but the facility already had a double layer of security in place before the attacks, which included checks before entering a terminal, and then security once inside.

As a result of the attacks, officials from the New York Port Authority Police have announced that they will be adding high-visibility patrols at John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.


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