Explosion and Gunfire reported at Istanbul Airport

[Alejo]

Or, perhaps, considering the overwhelming evidence of Turkey's cooperation with ISIS, and supporting them, they are just doing the old trick of making themselves look like a victim. "See, ISIS attacks us, too. Saying that we support them is ridiculous."

I guess it's possible. It could also revive that idea of ground troops invasion of official Turkish troops in Syria.

I was thinking too that, for the first time in a long time there's actual footage of suspects being shot down. Something that in other events, with probably better surveillance mechanisms, we never see (I'm thinking of Brussels). Maybe I'm wrong but this one seems to have a very different taste. In other events an apparatus of anticipation is put in place to control the narrative almost immediately after.

I also found interesting that they didn't immediately blame the YPG or any other Kurd associated group (which has been the MO of the Turkish government for the past year whenever an event like this takes place) so perhaps a message was being sent.

Perhaps the message was for turkey to consider the consequences of getting closer to Russia. And what that would mean to their other relationships i.e. NATO/Daesh. Distancing from Russia meant sanctions and diplomatic freezing of the relationships. But distancing from the west means dead civilians in airports and train stations.

It also made me wonder what the heck Turkey must have realized for them to take a sudden leap to the east. Perhaps the Brexit made them afraid of having less of a leverage in the EU?

 

[bozadi]

Here's a video of one of the suicide bombers detonating his suicide vest after being shot by the police:

CCTV of Turkey attack: Moment Attaturk Airport bomber explodes himself after being shot (GRAPHIC)

I wonder if he really had a suicide vest. Around the 35 second mark it looks like the explosion starts off to the bottom left of the screen. I would have thought the epicentre would have been right where the guy dropped.

I don´t understand what the guys are talking about in the above video, but it somehow strikes me that right after the explosion had occurred, they just kept on talking as if nothing had occurred. Of course, I´m just judging from the tone of their voice.

Guys are mentioning various numbers and the word "camera" (kamera) is also used repeatedly. I think they are surveillance monitoring room officials (I don't remember or know the precise term for that) in the airport. And I don't think that they were watching the explosion "live", it seems to be a kind of replay captured by a smartphone.

As for the explosion itself, yeah, it seems that flames firstly appear in the lower left corner of the screen but I think it is highly probable that the guy on the ground actually blowed himself up. He was wearing something like a coat although the weather was very hot and it is claimed in some news reports that some security officials outside the entrance of that buidling were already intrigued by their clothes and began to follow the terrorist group and upon this, just because of that, the terrorists probably began their shooting a bit earlier than they had planned. Also, although the flames of the explosion appears to occur on the lower left first, just immediately after that, some burning materials are scattered around from the point where the terrorist was lying immediately before the explosion. And it seems that a body part of the terrorist is thrown away to the lower right corner of the screen, which also implies that the guy actually set off the explosives on him. Easier said than done but I think that the security officer who shot him down should have ensured that the terrorist couldn't blow himself up. It is now stated in news reports that he himself (customshouse guard Umut Sakaroğlu) was killed due to that explosion. Nonetheless, he probably prevented more deaths by wounding the terrorist.

I agree that this is really interesting timing considering Turkey was inching closer towards Russia. First the Brexit and now this? Seems the West is throwing everything it can at Russia in an attempt to keep it isolated.

I was thinking the same thing, but it doesn't make a lot of sense. Turkey is inching closer to Russia, saying they're going to fight terrorism. So the Western Gladio B network stages an ISIS attack against them, after which Turkey says, "OK, now it's war, we're getting serious about fighting terrorism, Russia is already doing a great job, etc." It's not as if the West (or Turkey) really cares about Turkish civilians, so why even bother? It just gives Turkey the justification to get even closer with Russia. I think it's definitely possible, I just don't know how much sense it makes.

I hope so, I mean I hope that Erdogan might side with Russia, Iran, etc. Erdogan's past is a history of "conversions". He initially appeared with Erbakan, a former deceased prime minister of Turkey). Although Erbakan was a somewhat fanatic Islamist, he was a sincere anti-zionist and he was actually proposing that Islamic community, both Sunnis and Shia, should cooperate against the USA and Israel's conspiracy. It appears almost certain that he became a target of the conspirators and this was also when Erdogan began his mysterious visits to the USA, soon after which the AKP was founded and advanced to the power. Erdogan badly sold Erbakan out in that process. Then after accessing the power, some time after, he did the same with Fethullah Gulen, his former strongest ally in Turkey. But I believe that Gulen is already too dirty a man to be felt sorry about. And he is still a serious problem for Erdogan. They are the dogs of the same master fighting each other for having more of the cake. And Erdogan has the upper hand but Fethullah watches and utilizes every opportunity to bring him down. Turkey is such an abnormal country that, the extremely high amount of disclosures made by Fethullah's team and others (Ataturkists, mainly) about Erdogan's extreme corruption have not come handy for bringing him down. The people of Turkey have been being traumatized, pressurized so seriousy since the Ottoman times that, people in general are so timid to say something about the endless corruptions of the State and its Army. People are under the effect of a very thick curse. Ataturk probably tried to fight against that curse, attained a considerable success but was not as successful as he desired and then I think he came under the effect of the same curse and he was severely corrupted. The rise of the AKP was already facilitated by a significant part of the nation's hatred against the CHP's (Ataturk's strictly laicist political party) long history of pressures and tyranny against the nation in general. But now the history repeats itself from the opposite side.

Erdogan is an organic portal of the thickest kind and he's also somewhat lucky or clever or simple enough to continue exploiting and forcing his way through the weaknesses of the State, laws and people thanks to the fanatic support that he enjoys. But he gradually victimizes a greater portion of the nation, so he is gradually digging his own grave, he's aware of this and that's why he has no problem about dragging the nation to an abyss. He perceives that this might be the only way he can escape a prosecution, such a stupid virus is he. The only other way for him is actually converting to the path under Russia's leadership but it doesn't seem reasonable to hope this. As an ironic good side of the situation is that a dumbass state leader is what makes a gradually more portion of the nation to finally have the courage of questioning the authority of state, thinking for themselves, breaking the thick influence of the curse that has been plaguing the nation since the Ottoman times, etc.

 

[angelburst29]

Interesting that this airport incident happens on the heels of these two news reports?

Erdogan May Hold Telephone Conversation With Putin on June 29-30
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160628/1042050784/erdogan-putin-phone-call-june.html

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may hold a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 29-30, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said.


US Warns Against Travelling to Turkey Amid Terrorist Threat
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160628/1042050882/usa-turke-terrorist-warning.html

The United States is warning US citizens not to travel to southeastern Turkey because of ongoing terrorist threats, the Department of State said in a travel warning.

"The US Department of State warns US citizens of increased threats from terrorist groups throughout Turkey and to avoid travel to southeastern Turkey," the warning stated on Monday afternoon.

 

[angelburst29]

Investigators spotted two unexploded grenades on Wednesday at the site of the attack on the Istanbul Ataturk Airport, local media reported.

Two Unexploded Grenades Found at Site of Attack on Istanbul Ataturk Airport
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160629/1042172190/istanbul-airport-bombs.html

According to the Dogan news agency, one of the explosives was found in a bag believed to have belonged to one of the suicide bombers.

On Tuesday evening, three blasts hit the international terminal of Istanbul's Ataturk international airport, leaving over 40 people dead and more than 200 injured.

The United States did not have credible, actionable intelligence on an imminent threat before the terrorist attack at the Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, US Department of State deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said in a briefing Wednesday.

US Without ‘Actionable Intelligence’ Before Terror Attack in Turkey - DoS
http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160629/1042186524/us-istanbul-attack-intel.html

"We [United States] did not have imminent or actionable intelligence," Toner stated when asked if they possess information on potential threats before the terrorist attack at the Istanbul airport.

The deadly terror attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport are similar to previous attacks perpetrated by Daesh, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Brennan said in a speech on Wednesday.

Airport Attack Bears Hallmark of Daesh - CIA Director
http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160629/1042187156/istanbul-attack-daesh-brennan.html

"The despicable attack at Istanbul’s international airport yesterday that killed dozens and injured many more, certainly bears the hallmarks of ISIL’s [Daesh] depravity," Brennan stated at the Council on Foreign Relations.

The United States stands besides Turkey after Tuesday’s deadly terrorist attack on the Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Wednesday.

US Stands in ‘Strong Solidarity’ With Turkey After Airport Attack - DoS
http://sputniknews.com/us/20160629/1042177340/us-turkey-istanbul.html

"We stand in very strong solidarity with our friends in Turkey," Blinken stated. "And I know that our thoughts are with so many of those friends and colleagues across the water."

Turkish authorities on Wednesday refused RIA Novosti correspondent Dmitry Vinogradov entry to the country on assignment to cover the aftermath of the recent terrorist attack in Istanbul airport.

Turkey Bars Entry to RIA Novosti Reporter Covering Istanbul Attack
http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160629/1042188902/turkey-ban-ria.html

According to Vinogradov, he was stopped while passing passport control and informed that his name was on a list of persons barred from entering the country.

No further explanations were given. Vinogradov will fly back to Moscow on Thursday.

Sputnik news agency's Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan said Wednesday she hoped the thaw in Russian-Turkish relations would lead to Ankara reconsidering its decision to block the Sputnik website in the country.

Sputnik Editor-in-Chief Hopes Turkey Will Review Agency Ban Amid Thaw
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160629/1042182613/sputnik-turkey-ban.html

The website of Sputnik's Turkish bureau was blocked on April 14 by the Turkish telecommunications regulator. Turkey's Golbasi District court backed the decision. The chief editor of Sputnik’s Turkish bureau, Tural Kerimov, was denied entry to Turkey, stripped of his accreditation and residence permit in the country.

Erdogan confirmed Wednesday that he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of G20 summit in China.

Erdogan Confirms Plans to Meet Putin at G20 Summit in China
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160629/1042191306/erdogan-plans-meet-putin-china.html

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed Wednesday that he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of G20 summit in China on September 4-5.

Erdogan and Putin had constructive phone talks earlier on Wednesday aimed at restoring bilateral cooperation.

 

[bozadi]

In some Turkish news reports presented just within a few hours, Erdogan made another of his extremely contradictive u-turns by announcing: "Did you (IHH, the flotilla organization) ask my opinion me when you were getting that flotilla to Gaza?! We were already helping Gaza by other ways. There was no need to make such a fuss". As far as I know, this is the first time that he accuses IHH for this reason and it was certainly unexpected, actually shocking for many in Turkey. The President of IHH has recently needled Erdogan harshly upon the new agreement with Israel over the Mavi Marmara incident. By the way, IHH has also been involved in some malevolent acts within the context of Syrian war (possibly rightful accusations for carrying arms to jihadists under the name of humanitarian aid.)

Erdogan's almost uninterrupted series of aggravating u-turns has frequently become an object of derision and there was even a series of youtube videos brining together his explanations awfully irreconcilable with each other. These videos were titled in translation "One Prime Minister, Two Erdogans" as such videos were firstly created when he was the P.M.: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bir+ba%C5%9Fbakan+iki+erdo%C4%9Fan (in Turkish only).

But if Erdogan really draws closer to a sincere cooperation with Russia, China, Iran, etc. in terms of global political ethics, if he does that u-turn, that would really a great surprise but it seems so impossible considering AKP's mostly being a "pet" of the USA and Israel. But I belive that such a u-turn would also the only way for Erdogan's rule to be rescued from a harsh prosecution eventually although it seems extremely unlikely.

This is something even most of Ataturkists can't dare. Although they criticize the AKP most severely all the times, their history is not much different in terms of the resolute alliance with the USA and Israel, NATO, etc. Although many of them are sincere, progressive, humane individuals (there are many exceptions as well), they can't take an initiative in terms of a self-criticism for this old nefarious alliance of the state ideology. Most of them are so hesitant and even severely opposed to make self-criticisms about the fascist tendencies and actions in the history of their ideology.

 

[Ca.]

Brain washing in the states. Taken at face value.

KTVN-TV Reno NV.
AP Wire
Posted: Jun 30, 2016 3:12 PM
Turkey Suicide Attackers From Russia, Central Asia
_http://www.ktvn.com/story/32344191/turkey-suicide-attackers-from-russia-central-asia

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - The Latest on attack on Istanbul airport (all times local):

1:55 p.m.

A senior Turkish official says the three suicide attackers who carried out the deadly attack on Istanbul's main airport were nationals of Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The official on Thursday could not confirm Turkish media reports that the Russian national was from the restive Daghestan region. Tuesday's gunfire and suicide bombing attack at Ataturk Airoprt killed 42 people and wounded more than 230 others.

The official spoke on condition of anonynity in line with government regulations

___

1:45 p.m.

The European Union says it still wants Turkey make changes to its anti-terrorism laws that EU officials say are used to muzzle dissent - a stance rejected by Turkish officials in the wake of the bloodshed at lstanbul's airport.

"New demands directed at Turkey, that would encourage the terrorists," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday. "We can't make any changes in our terrorism laws. Tomorrow maybe, when conditions change."

Cavusoglu and other high-ranking officials from Ankara were at EU headquarters to resume negotiations on their country's application to join the European Union. As part of a deal to secure Turkish help in cutting the flow of migrants into Europe, the EU wants Turkey to narrow its legal definition of terrorism and amend other laws to bring them in line with EU standards.

Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, whose country holds the revolving EU presidency, indicated the bloc's position remains unchanged following the attack at Ataturk Airport that killed 42 people on Tuesday.

"We cannot have our agenda being decided by terrorists. We have an agreement with Turkey, we're working on the benchmarks, and that will continue," Koenders said. "And I hope we come to an agreement."

___

12:35 p.m.

The German government says Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken with Turkey's president, assuring him that Germany stands by the country in the fight against terror.

Merkel's office says the chancellor condemned Tuesday's attack on the main Istanbul airport and offered her condolences in a Wednesday evening telephone conversation with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A government statement Thursday said the leaders agreed that "the threat from fanatical terrorism must be faced together."

Relations between Germany and Turkey have been strained since the German Parliament voted on June 2 to label the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks a century ago genocide. That decision infuriated the government in Ankara.

___

12:10 p.m.

Turkey's state-run news agency says police have detained 13 people in connection to the deadly airport attack. Anadolu Agency says the three foreign nationals are among the group of suspects detained in Istanbul on Thursday.

Anadolu said police conducted simultaneous raids at 16 locations in the city, Anadolu said. Tuesday's gunfire and suicide bomb attack on Ataturk Airport killed 42 people and wounded more than 230 others.

___

11:05 a.m.

Turkey's state-run news agency says nine suspects linked to the Islamic State group were detained during a large-scale police operation in the coastal city of Izmir.

The Thursday morning raids unfolded simultaneously in the neighborhoods of Konak, Bucak, Karabaglar and Bornova neighborhoods, according to Anadolu Agency.

Police say they found three hunting rifles and documents relating to the Islamic State group, the prime suspect for the attack on Istanbul's International Ataturk Airport that killed 42 people.

The report says the suspects were in contact with IS militants in Syria and were engaged in "activities that were in line with the organization's aims and interests," including providing financial sources, recruits and logistical support.

___

10 a.m.

Turkey's state-run news agency says police have conducted a series raids in Istanbul neighborhoods, targeting Islamic State suspects following the gunfire and suicide bomb attack at Ataturk Airport which killed 42 people.

Anadolu Agency said police searched residences in Istanbul's Pendik, Basaksehir and Sultanbeyli neighborhoods but it was not clear if any arrests were made.

Authorities blamed the IS group for three assailants' coordinated attack late Tuesday on one of the world's busiest airports, that also injured more than 230.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility by the militant group.

___

9:30 a.m.

A Turkish news report says security forces have killed two suspected Islamic State militants at the border with Syria.

Private NTV television said Thursday the two Syrian nationals "were neutralized" after they ignored security forces warnings, but provided no further details. It was not immediately clear if they were trying to cross illegally into Turkey.

NTV, without citing any sources, said one of the two militants was wanted by Turkey on suspicion that he would carry out suicide attacks in the capital Ankara or in the southern city of Adana.

The reported incident comes days after suspected IS militants attacked Istanbul's busiest airport with gunfire and bombs Tuesday, killing 42 people and wounding more than 230 others.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Sputnik
(updated 17:41 30.06.2016)
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160630/1042240154/attack-identities-turkey.html
Identities of 3 Istanbul Attackers Known, But Not Confirmed - Official
According to the US Secretary of Homeland Security, the government has been informed of the possible identities of the three suicide bombers who carried out the terrorist attack in Istanbul.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US government has been informed of the possible identities of the three suicide bombers who carried out the Tuesday terrorist attack on the Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, but the names have yet to be confirmed, US Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said on Thursday.

"There are reports out of Turkey today about possible identity of these three attackers. We don’t have confirmation yet of their nationality or of their names," Johnson told the US Senate Judiciary Committee.

An American suffered non-critical injuries during the terrorist, Johnson added.

"One US citizen suffered, I understand, minor injuries," Johnson said in testimony to the US Senate Judiciary Committee.

Johnson confirmed a total of 44 casualties, including the suicide bombers, as well as "some 256 injured" in the attack.

Johnson further noted that the attack has "all the hallmarks" of a Daesh attack, "though there has been no claim of responsibility last time I looked."

RT
CCTV Footage: Istanbul airport attacker frantically looks for victims
Published on Jun 30, 2016
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y14CA4j2Hk

CCTV footage has caught one of the attackers at Istanbul Ataturk Airport smashing his rifle on the floor in frustration over being unable to find new victims

RT
‘Airport attack planned long before Turkey restored relations with Israel, Russia’
Published on Jun 29, 2016

http://<iframe width="560" height="...nw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Turkey denies all accusations of being involved in the ISIS oil trade or letting fighters through its territory. For more on this attack, RT is joined by Ely Karmon, Senior Research scholar at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism.

http://<iframe width="560" height="...2o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>