Turkish officials detained suspects associated with the Istanbul airport attack on Thursday.
Officials have identified the three men believed to have carried out the attack at Ataturk airport as being from Russia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. There is strong evidence to that they came to Turkey about a month ago from Raqqa, an ISIS stronghold in Syria. The men brought the suicide vests and the bombs used in the attack from Raqqa. One official said that the attack was “extremely well planned with ISIS leadership involved.”
The alleged attackers rented an apartment in the Faith district of Istanbul. One of the terrorists left his passport behind, allowing for identification of the other two men. The pictures of the men pulled from the surveillance video at the airport displayed three men wearing thick jackets and carrying bags.
The death toll from the attack is currently 44. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Although ISIS is believed to be involved and there are suspects in custody, Kyrgyzstan’s foreign ministry said that Turkish officials told representatives that “the identities of the suicide bombers are still being examined.”