The body count was expected to climb in the wake of the attack at one of the world's busiest airports after three suicide bombers opened fire with AK-47s before blowing themselves up as police engaged them. As if to underscore Turkey's determination to carry on in the face of a growing threat, the airport reopened Wednesday, just hours after the dead and some 239 wounded were carried away and glass and debris cleared.
"The findings of our security forces point at the Daesh organization as the perpetrators of this terror attack," Turkish Prime Miniser Binali Yildirim told reporters at the airport, using the Arabic name for ISIS. "Even though the indications suggest Daesh, our investigations are continuing."
The attack bore hallmarks similar to the March 22 coordinated terror attacks in Brussels, in which ISIS operatives killed 32 in bombings at the attack at Zaventem airport and a nearby metro station. ISIS had not taken credit for Tuesday's attacks at Ataturk Airport, and Ankara has battled Kurdish militants as well as ISIS.
A U.S. government official told Fox News that the attack fits the profile of ISIS, which has stepped up its targeting of Turkey. The official said ISIS tends to attack internationally known targets with an economic impact, such as an airport, while the Kurdish terror group PKK generally targets Turkish military and law enforcement.
Officials said most of those killed were Turkish. The 13 foreign travelers killed included five Saudis, two Iraqis and citizens from China, Iran, Jordan, Tunisia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, Reuters reported.
The Haber Turk newspaper reported that one attacker blew himself up outside the terminal, then two others opened fire at the point where the X-ray machines are. One attacker was shot at while running amid fleeing passengers, then blew himself up at the exit. The third attacker went up one level to where the international departures terminal is, was shot by police and blew himself up.
A Turkish official told The Associated Press authorities are going through CCTV footage and eyewitness statements to establish a timeline and details of the attack. "It is a jigsaw puzzle" said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.
Airport surveillance video posted on social media showed the moment of one blast, a huge ball of fire, and passengers fleeing in terror. Another appeared to show an attacker, felled by a gunshot from a security officer, blowing himself up seconds later.
The recent attacks on a key partner in the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS and a NATO member have increased in scale and frequency. They have scared away tourists and hurt the Turkish economy, which relies heavily on tourism.
Earlier, the hundreds of passengers who fled the airport in fear were left sitting on the grass outside. Several ambulances drove back and forth, and security vehicles surrounded the scene.
Adam Keally, from Boston, said he heard gunfire followed by several explosions, then saw people "very badly injured."
Hevin Zini, 12, had just arrived from Duesseldorf, Germany, with her family and was in tears.
"There was blood on the ground," she told AP. "Everything was blown up to bits... if we had arrived two minutes earlier, it could have been us."
Two South African tourists, Paul and Susie Roos from Cape Town, were at the airport and due to fly home at the time of the explosions.
"We came up from the arrivals to the departures, up the escalator when we heard these shots going off," Paul Roos told the Associated Press. "There was this guy going roaming around, he was dressed in black and he had a handgun."
Veysel Allay, who was waiting for a friend in the arrivals terminal, told the Daily Telegraph, "A man ran up and ripped open his jacket, showing a bomb vest. I ran before he did anything."
Jim Hyong Lee of South Korea told the Telegraph he and his family were checking in for a flight home when "we heard gunshots."
"I grabbed my family and ran," Lee said. "Someone waved us into the prayer room and hid us there until the police came."
A State Department spokesman told Fox News late Tuesday it urged Americans in Turkey to contact family members immediately.
Saudi Arabia's Embassy in Turkey said at least seven Saudis were injured in the attack and all are in stable condition.
U.S. and world leaders immediately offered condolences following the attack.
In the U.S., President Obama was briefed about the attack by Lisa Monaco, his homeland security and counterterrorism adviser. A statement from the White House Tuesday condemned the attack "in the strongest possible terms."
"We remain steadfast in our support for Turkey, our NATO Ally and partner, along with all of our friends and allies around the world, as we continue to confront the threat of terrorism," the statement said.
Turkey has stepped up controls at airports and land borders and deported thousands of foreign fighters, but has struggled to tackle the threat of IS militants while also conducting vast security operations against Kurdish rebels, who have also been blamed for recent deadly attacks.
Turkish airports have security checks at both the entrance of terminal buildings and then later before entry to departure gates.
Istanbul's Ataturk Airport was the 11th busiest airport in the world last year, with 61.8 million passengers, according to Airports Council International. It is also one of the fastest-growing airports in the world, seeing 9.2 percent more passengers last year than in 2014..
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