Witnesses described the carnage and chaos as the attackers struck one of the world's busiest airports.
Sue Savage was in the airport to see a friend off when she heard gunshots and then an explosion. More gunshots rang out, followed by another boom, she told CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront."
She and about 30 people were herded into a women's prayer room until authorities led them out and down an escalator into the main terminal hall.
"There was a lot of blood," she said.
The floor was marked with bloody boot marks, and as the group was led to the other side of the room, "there was so much glass on the floor, they were scuffing it aside so we didn't slip."
Video from inside the terminal shows people fleeing and the bright orange flash of fire from one of the explosions. Victims stagger, and some fall from the slippery, blood-covered floor.
Another video shows a man walking with a gun, which he drops when he's apparently shot by a security officer. The man slumps to the ground and the officer briefly stands over him before running. About 10 seconds later, a bomb detonates.
"In Istanbul they used a combination of the methods employed in Paris
and Brussels. They planned a murder that would maximize fear and loss
of life," said Suleyman Ozeren, a terrorism expert at the Ankara-based
Global Policy and Strategy Institute.
Turkey needs to work harder on "preventative intelligence" to stop militants being radicalised in the first place, he said.
The two U.S. officials said the Istanbul bombing was more typical of Islamic State than of Kurdish militant groups which have also carried out recent attacks in Turkey, but usually strike at official government targets.
Yildirim said it was significant that the attack took place when Turkey was having successes in fighting terrorist groups and mending ties with some of its international partners.
Turkey announced the restoration of diplomatic ties with Israel on Monday after a six-year rupture and has been trying to restore relations with Russia, a major backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
One of the U.S. officials said there had been a "marked increase" in encrypted Islamic State propaganda and communications on the dark web, which some American officials interpret as an effort to direct or inspire more attacks outside its home turf to offset its recent losses on the ground.
Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the probe, which they said is being led by Turkish officials with what they called intelligence support from the United States and other NATO allies.
Turkey needs to work harder on "preventative intelligence" to stop militants being radicalised in the first place, he said.
The two U.S. officials said the Istanbul bombing was more typical of Islamic State than of Kurdish militant groups which have also carried out recent attacks in Turkey, but usually strike at official government targets.
Yildirim said it was significant that the attack took place when Turkey was having successes in fighting terrorist groups and mending ties with some of its international partners.
Turkey announced the restoration of diplomatic ties with Israel on Monday after a six-year rupture and has been trying to restore relations with Russia, a major backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
One of the U.S. officials said there had been a "marked increase" in encrypted Islamic State propaganda and communications on the dark web, which some American officials interpret as an effort to direct or inspire more attacks outside its home turf to offset its recent losses on the ground.
Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the probe, which they said is being led by Turkish officials with what they called intelligence support from the United States and other NATO allies.
No comments:
Post a Comment