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Update | Islamic State group blamed for suicide attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, as death toll rises to 41

Three attackers opened fire with guns before detonating suicide bombs

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A Turkish anti-riot police officer stands guard at Ataturk airport’s international arrival terminal in Istanbul, a day after a suicide bombing and gun attack killed at least 41 people. Photo: AFP

Turkish investigators are poring over video footage and witness statements after three suspected Islamic State suicide bombers opened fire and blew themselves up in Istanbul’s main airport, killing 41 people and wounding 239.

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The attack on Europe’s third-busiest airport was the deadliest in a series of suicide bombings this year in Turkey, part of the US-led coalition against Islamic State and struggling to contain spillover from neighbouring Syria’s war.

President Tayyip Erdogan said the attack should serve as a turning point in the global fight against terrorism, which he said had “no regard for faith or values”.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and announced it had evacuated 90 Chinese citizens who were at the airport during the bombings. None were harmed, according to Xinhua.
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However a Turkish official said a Chinese citizen was among the 13 foreigners killed. Citizens from Jordan, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Iran and Ukraine also died.

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