Ataturk Airport Bombing
The Atatürk Airport bombing occurred on June 28, 2016, in Istanbul, Turkey, when three armed suicide bombers attacked the international terminal, resulting in the deaths of at least forty individuals and numerous injuries. The attackers opened fire before detonating explosives, with the chaos leading to a temporary shutdown of the airport and suspension of outgoing flights. While no group officially claimed responsibility for the attack, Turkish officials pointed to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as a prime suspect, consistent with a pattern of violence in the country attributed to the group. The attackers were reportedly linked to Central Asian origins, raising concerns about ISIS's recruitment strategies in the region. In the aftermath, Turkish authorities arrested more than thirty individuals believed to be connected to the incident, reflecting ongoing efforts to address terrorism in Turkey. The bombing was part of a string of attacks that targeted Istanbul in 2015 and 2016, highlighting the volatile security situation in the area. The incident drew international condemnation and expressions of solidarity with Turkey, underscoring the global implications of such terrorist acts.
Ataturk Airport Bombing
Date: June 28, 2016
Place: Istanbul, Turkey
Summary
The Atatürk Airport bombing was a series of attacks that occurred on June 28, 2016, in Istanbul, Turkey, in which three armed suicide bombers set off explosive vests after opening fire at an international terminal at the airport, killing at least forty people and injuring several others. While no terrorist organizations claimed responsibility for the attack, Turkish government officials stated that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was a prime suspect, especially because of other attacks in the country that had been unofficially linked to the group.
Key Figures
Rakim Bulgarov: Suspected to be one of the three suicide bombers in the airport attack.
Akhmed Chatayev: Chechen militant suspected of organizing the attack at Atatürk Airport.
Vadim Osmanov: Suspected to be one of the three suicide bombers in the airport attack.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan: President of Turkey.
Binali Yildirim: Prime minister of Turkey.
Key Events
- January 12, 2016—Militants attack a square in Istanbul's Sultanahmet district, targeting tourists.
- March 19, 2016—A suicide bombing on a busy commercial street in Istanbul's Beyoğlu district kills at least four.
- June 28, 2016—Three men attack Atatürk Airport in Istanbul through three separate suicide bombings, killing more than forty and injuring several more.
Status
In the wake of the attack, all flights out of Turkey were suspended and several other nations suspended flights to the region; however, the airport and terminal were reopened within hours. A number of world leaders released statements expressing sympathy and solidarity with the Turkish government. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan released a statement arguing for a renewed effort to combat various forms of terrorism, and by early July, authorities had reportedly arrested and charged more than thirty individuals believed to be connected to the attack.
In-Depth Overview
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a radical Islamist militant group that seeks to create a caliphate governed according to sharia law. The government of Turkey has been actively fighting ISIS militants since 2014 as part of a Western coalition and has since seen a dramatic increase in terrorist attacks targeting Turkish military, police, and civilians. ISIS has rarely claimed responsibility for such attacks; analysts surmise this may be part of a strategy to inspire sectarian violence between Islamic sects and between the Turkish populace and their government. However, the Turkish government has often identified ISIS as the likely perpetrator of these attacks.
The capital city of Istanbul was targeted in numerous attacks in 2015 and 2016. In 2016, there were three bombing attacks in Istanbul, the first of which occurred on January 12, when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device that killed at least ten people, all foreign visitors, in a popular square in the city's district of Sultanahmet. The Turkish government responded with a series of aerial bombings against ISIS targets in Syria. A second bombing in Istanbul occurred on March 19, when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device on a street full of shoppers in the district of Beyoğlu, killing at least four people.
On June 28, 2016, two men armed with assault rifles attacked police and civilians outside a security checkpoint at the international arrivals terminal of Istanbul's Atatürk Airport, which is the third busiest airport in Europe for passenger traffic. The first attack began around 10 p.m. local time. According to eyewitness reports, police returned fire as the men approached the security checkpoint for the terminal. One attacker eventually detonated his suicide vest outside the building while the second managed to get inside the terminal before setting off his vest; according to reports, a surveillance video indicated that a security guard had been able to shoot the attacker but he was still able to detonate. A third attacker detonated an explosive in a parking lot across the street from the terminal. Statements from the scene indicated that there were three attackers, all of whom died in the attack.
Police estimate that more than forty died in the attack, the majority of whom were Turkish, while travelers from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, China, Iran, Tunisia, and Jordan were also killed. There were hundreds of injuries and it took hours for police and emergency crews to evacuate the injured from the terminal. Immediately after the attack, the airport was temporarily shut down and all outgoing flights were suspended, leaving hundreds stranded in the airport or in planes waiting to disembark. A number of international airports with connections to Atatürk temporarily increased security. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim claimed that early information and analysis of the logistics of the attack indicated that ISIS was likely responsible, though the organization had not officially claimed responsibility.
The Turkish government also faces terrorist violence from Kurdish separatist organizations such as the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, which was one of the most activist terrorist organizations in the nation in 2015 and 2016, making it difficult to determine responsibility in the case of terrorist attacks.
On June 30, press releases stated that the Turkish government had determined that the attackers were natives of Uzbekistan, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan. Two of the individuals were tentatively identified in early July as Vadim Osmanov and Rakim Bulgarov. Turkish media also reported that they were looking into another suspect as the potential mastermind of the attack, Akhmed Chatayev, a Chechen-born radical and leader of various groups of Russian-speaking ISIS combatants. The information regarding these suspects' nationalities raised the issue of expansive recruitment efforts by ISIS. In 2015 and 2016, an increasing number of ISIS militants are believed to have joined the organization from Russia and its current and former territories, particularly Chechnya.
Bibliography
Arango, T., Taverniese, S., & Yeginsu, C. (2016, 28 June). Istanbul airport attack leaves at least 41 dead. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/29/world/europe/turkey-istanbul-airport-explosions.html
Barnes, J. E., Grove, T., & Boudreaux, R. (2016, July 3). U.S. suspects Chechen was behind Istanbul airport attack. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-suspects-chechen-was-behind-istanbul-airport-attack-1467458810
Karimi, F. (2016, July 2). Istanbul airport attack: Planner, 2 bombers identified, report says. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/01/europe/turkey-istanbul-ataturk-airport-attack/
Tuysuz, G., & Almasy, S. (2016, July 6). Istanbul airport attack: 36 dead, 147 injured, Turkish officials say. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/28/europe/turkey-istanbul-airport-attacks/
Tuysuz, G., Yan, H., and Almasy, S. (2016, July 6). Istanbul terror attack: Erdogan says Turkey will not be divided. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/29/europe/turkey-istanbul-ataturk-airport-attack/