Blast in Medina - Medina Attack

Four security officers have been killed and five others wounded in a suicide attack outside one of Islam's holiest sites, Saudi Arabia's interior ministry said.

The bombing at the Prophet's Mosque in the city of Medina was the third attack to hit the kingdom on Monday, following blasts in the cities of Jeddah and Qatif.

Photos of Medina posted on social media showed smoke billowing from a fire outside the mosque where Prophet Muhammad is buried.

"Four security guards were martyred and five others wounded as a result of their opposition to the suicide attacker who detonated explosives near them as he was on his way to the mosque," the ministry said on Twitter.

What motivated the bombings in Saudi Arabia?

The blast struck moments before sunset prayers when people were breaking their fast inside the mosque.  

The mosque, which is also known as Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, is visited by pilgrims from around the world during the final days of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Qari Ziyaad Patel, 36, from South Africa, was at the mosque when he heard the blast just as the call to prayer was ending.

He said many at first thought it was the sound of traditional, celebratory cannon fire, but then he felt the ground shake.

"The vibrations were very strong," Patel told the AP news agency. "It sounded like a building imploded."

Saudi Arabia's state-run news channel, Al-Ekhbariya, broadcast live video of thousands of worshippers praying inside the mosque hours after the explosion.

The mosque is considered to be Islam's second holiest site after the Sacred Mosque, or Masjid-al-Haram, which surrounds the Kaaba in the city of Mecca.

Following the attack in Medina, Muslims around the world expressed their outrage. 

Iran's Foreign Minister Javed Zarif, writing on Twitter, said: "There are no more red lines left for terrorists to cross. Sunnis, Shiites [Shias] will both remain victims unless we stand united as one."

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, tweeted: "It's time we work together to save our religion from these deadly criminal gangs."

Qatif explosions

About the same time as the Medina blast, two other explosions struck near a mosque in the eastern city of Qatif on the Gulf coast.

Witnesses said a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a Shia mosque without injuring anyone else.

They reported seeing body parts lying on the ground in the city's business district.

"Suicide bomber for sure. I can see the body" which was blasted to pieces, a resident told the AFP news agency.

Nasima al-Sada, another resident, said "one bomber blew himself up near the mosque".

A third witness told Reuters news agency that one explosion destroyed a car parked near the mosque, followed by another explosion just before 7pm local time.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attacks.

Earlier on Monday morning, two security officers were injured as a suicide bomber blew himself up near the United States consulate in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah.

Security officers became suspicious of a man near the car park of Dr Suleiman Faqeeh Hospital which is directly across from the US diplomatic mission. When they moved in to investigate, "he blew himself up with a suicide belt inside the hospital parking", the interior ministry said.

Saudi's interior ministry identified the attacker as Abdullah Waqar Khan, a Pakistani national in his early 30s. In a tweet, the ministry said that Khan, a driver, had moved to Jeddah 12 years ago to live with his wife and her parents.

Pakistan said on Tuesday that it was going to investigate whether the suicide bomber in Jeddah was one of its nationals.

"We will investigate the claim that one of the bombers was a Pakistani who according to reports was living in Saudi Arabia for more than 12 years," a foreign ministry official told the DPA news agency on condition of anonymity.

In January, at least four people were killed in a suicide attack on a Shia mosque in the eastern al-Ahsa region.

In October, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Najran, in which at least one person was killed.

ISIL, also known as ISIS, also claimed responsibility for an attack at a mosque inside a special forces headquarters in the city of Abha in August 2015. Fifteen people were killed in that attack.

Source: Al Jazeera

Timeline of Terroris Attacks in Turkey 2015 -2016

Bombings since start of 2015 have mostly been blamed on ISIL and armed Kurdish groups.

1. Sultanahmet, Istanbul – 6 January, 2015.
A female suicide bomber from Dagestan detonated explosives in the main tourist district of the city (1 killed, 1 injured). No claim of responsibility.

2. Diyarbakir – 5 June, 2015.
Two successive explosions hit an opposition rally (2 killed, over 100 injured). No claim of responsibility. Blamed on ISIL.

3. Suruc – 20 July, 2015.
Suicide attack targeted activists planning to enter the Syrian-Kurdish town of Kobane and help rebuild it. The explosion happened during a press event (32 killed, 100 injured). No claim of responsibility. Blamed on ISIL.

4. Sultanbeyli, Istanbul – 10 August, 2015.
Explosion targeted a police station and caused a fire that spread to nearby buildings (7 injured). PKK claimed responsibility.

5. Ankara – 10 October, 2015.
Two blast went off during a rally organized by several leftist groups (95 killed, 200 injured). No claim of responsibility. Officials say ISIL is the prime suspect.

6. Bayrampasa Metro Station, Istanbul – 1 December, 2015.
During rush hour, a pipe bomb exploded on an overpass near a metro station (5 injured). Left-wing group MLKP claimed responsibility.

7. International Airport, Istanbul – 23 December, 2015.
A cleaner was working on a Pegasus Airline plane when a blast went off. It is unclear if it was a bomb (1 killed). Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) claimed responsibility.

8. Sultanahmet, Istanbul – 12 January, 2016.
A suicide bomber blew himself up in a square popular with tourists (10 killed, 15 injured). No claim of responsibility. Blamed on ISIL.

9. Cinar, Diyarbakir – 14 January, 2016.
A car bomb went off near a police station in Kurdish-majority province. Nearby houses with civilians inside were also hit with rocket attacks and gunfire (6 killed, 39 injured). PKK calimed responsibility.

10. Ankara – 17 February, 2016.
During rush hour, a large explosion targeted a military vehicle with people inside (28 killed, 61 injured). Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) claimed responsibility.

11. Ankara – 13 March, 2016.
The second explosion in the capital within weeks set several cars on fire, created a shower of debris and was heard miles away (37 killed, 70 injured). Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) claimed responsibility.

12. Istiklal Street, Istanbul – 20 March, 2016.
Suicide bomber hit a shopping district where a lot of pedestrians were milling around (5 killed, 6 injured). No claim of responsibility. Blamed on ISIL.

13. Diyarbakir – 31 March, 2016.
The explosion hit a police vehicle near a busy bus terminal (7 killed, 27 injured). PKK claimed responsibility.

14. Bursa 27 April, 2016.
A female suicide bomber is believed to have targeted worshippers at the city’ Grand Mosque ( 13 injured). Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) claimed responsibility.

15. Gaziantep – 1 May, 2016.
A vehicle blew up near the city’s main police station. Assailants also fired automatic weapon (2 killed, 22 injured). No claim of responsibility. Blamed on ISIL.

16. Baglar, Diyarbakir – 10 May, 2016.
An armored police van carrying inmates and policeman was struck in the center of the city (3 killed, 45 injured). PKK claimed responsibility.

17. Gaziantep – 19 May, 2016.
A suspected ISIL member blew himself up during a police raid.

18. Beyazit, Istanbul – 7 June, 2016.
Explosion happened near a metro station and the Grand Bazaar (11 killed, 36 injured). TAK claimed responsibility.

19. Midyat, Mardin – 8 June, 2016.
A car bomb exploded near a police station in a region where government forces are battling Kurdish separatists (6 killed, 20 injured). PKK claimed responsibility.

20. Ovacik, Tunceli – 13 June, 2016.
The explosion happened near a housing block for civil servants (9 injured). Left-wing HBDH claimed responsibility.

21. Ataturk Airport, Istanbul – 28 June, 2016.
Attackers reportedly tried to penetrate the “control point” coming into the airport. Security personnel then opened fire to “neutralize” the attackers, who then detonated their explosives, authorities said (41 killed, 239 injured). No immediate claim for the attack.

Source: "Timeline of attacks in Turkey". www.aljazeera.com. June 2016.

Turkey Police Detain 13 Suspects Over Istanbul Airport Attack

The police investigation further revealed that the three bombers stayed in the apartment in Fatih ahead of the attack.

A total of 22 people accused of having links to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) were detained in Istanbul and the western province of İzmir on June 30, as Turkish police launched a wide-scale crackdown on the group following the Istanbul Atatürk Airport suicide attacks that killed 44 people and wounded 239.

A total of 13 people, four of whom are foreigners, have been detained in Istanbul as police initiated a dawn operation on 16 different addresses in several districts, including Pendik, Başakşehir and Sultanbeyli.

In İzmir, police simultaneously raided various addresses in the Konak, Buca, Karabağlar and Bornova districts early in the morning, detaining nine people suspected of being ISIL members.

In the operation conducted by some 200 police officers, a number of organizational documents, three rifles and digital data were seized. Police said the detainees were in contact with group members in Syria and were acting in İzmir for the group’s benefit, providing financial support, recruits, and logistical support.

Meanwhile, details of the ISIL suicide bomb attack at Istanbul Atatürk Airport continue to emerge, with police finding that the three bombers were of Russian, Uzbek and Kyrgyz nationality.

Finding the passport of the Russian attacker in a cell house in Istanbul’s Fatih district, police said he was of Dagestani origin and entered Turkey with a false passport around one month ago.

The police investigation further revealed that the three bombers stayed in the apartment in Fatih ahead of the attack. The reports showed that the attackers rented the flat three months ago by making a cash payment.

Police have also revealed critical details on how the attack was organized and carried out. According to the reports, the attackers initially took a taxi from a street close to Vatan Street in the Fatih district with three backpacks and luggage and told the driver to take them to the Atatürk Airport.

Arriving at the airport, without being stopped for a police check, the attackers got out of the taxi in front of the international arrivals terminal. The attackers, who later wore their suicide belts and took up their Kalashnikovs hidden in their luggage, left the gate with each of them heading their planned spots to carry out the attacks.

One of the attackers headed to the airport’s parking garage, the other headed to international arrival Gate A, and the third one headed to the international departures terminal, sources said. They added that all of the deaths occurred in attacks at terminals and no deaths were reported from the attack in the parking garage.

Reports also state that the attackers planned to take dozens of passengers hostage inside the terminal and then blow them up together with themselves. As they were countered by a police officer at the terminal’s entrance, the plot was not carried out as planned, reports added.




Source: "Turkish police crack down on ISIL as death toll rises",www.hurriyetdailynews.com. June 30th 2016.

CCTV shows Istanbul airport attacker frantically looking for victims

 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.

The footage released by Il Giornale newspaper shows dozens of people running away after hearing gunshots outside.

The attacker, who was dressed in black and carrying a rifle, is seen entering the building, but finds the airport’s registration area completely empty.

The man then appears to search the area for victims, but failing to find any, throws his gun on the floor in an apparent display of anger.

Forty-four people were killed and over 230 injured in gun and bomb attacks on Europe’s third-busiest airport on Tuesday.

Three suicide bombers first opened fire outside of the terminal to create panic before two of the attackers entered the building and blew themselves up, while the third detonated his explosive device at the entrance.

Turkish police said the three suspected bombers at the airport were citizens of Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan with links to the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorist group. The Russian national was reportedly a resident of Dagestan, a region in Russia's North Caucasus.

Yeni Safak newspaper cited Turkish security services who identified the mastermind behind the attack as a Chechen named Ahmed Chatayev. Before joining Islamic State, he was one of the most wanted fugitives from various terror groups in the North Caucasus.

Later on Thursday, a Russian security source told RIA Novosti that Chatayev had been wanted in Russia since 2008 over his links to terrorism.

The source also dismissed Turkish media reports that a man named Osman Vadinov was one of the suicide bombers. "It's not a Chechen surname, and such a person never lived in Chechnya," he said.

One of the organizers of the attack at Ataturk Airport, Chechen national Ahmed Chataev, was known to Bulgarian authorities for terrorist activities, Bulgarian BGNES news agency reported.

Accoridng to the agency, Chataev was born in 1980 and has been wanted by authorities since 2008. There is evidence that he was hiding and lives in Western Europe. According to reports, he was part of a group loyal to Doku Umarov’s "Caucasus Emirate," and after Umarov’s death and the collapse of his group he joined Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).

Chataev was arrested by Bulgarian authorities, but in 2011 the appeals court did not allow his extradition to Russia.

The suspect was able to travel to Europe and former Soviet states without any restrictions for 13 years, RIA Novosti cited a police source as saying.


Source: ”New footage shows Istanbul airport attacker frantically looking for victims ”, www.rt.com. June 30 2016.

Turkey's Erdogan vows unity after Istanbul Airport Attack

Turkey believes that ISIL was behind attacks at the Ataturk Airport that left 41 people killed and 239 others wounded.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed that his country "will never be divided" a day after suicide blasts killed at least 41 people and wounded nearly 239 others at Istanbul's main international airport.

"There is an attempt to turn our security forces into guilty parties, but they will not succeed in their efforts because this nation knows full well who is who," Erdogan said on Wednesday. "We will never forget our martyrs."

Turkish officials have said there are indications three suicide bombers from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) carried out the deadly attacks at the Ataturk Airport, although no group has claimed responsibility.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said efforts to identify the attackers, who arrived at the airport in taxis, were continuing.

The attackers opened fire at airport guards at the terminal entrance and a gunfight erupted before they blew themselves up one by one at around 10pm, authorities said.

Security camera footage circulated on social media appeared to capture two of the blasts. In one clip a huge ball of flame erupts at an entrance to the terminal building, scattering terrified passengers.

Another video shows a black-clad attacker running inside the building before collapsing to the ground - apparently felled by a police bullet - and blowing himself up.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a 'joint fight' against terror after the attack [EPA]

Most of the casualties were Turkish citizens, a senior government official said.

One of the attackers "randomly opened fire" as he walked through the terminal building, shortly before three explosions, a witness told Reuters.

"We came right to international departures and saw the man randomly shooting. He was just firing at anyone coming in front of him. He was wearing all black. His face was not masked. I was 50 metres away from him," said Paul Roos, 77, a South African tourist on his way back to Cape Town with his wife.

"We ducked behind a counter but I stood up and watched him. Two explosions went off shortly after one another. By that time he had stopped shooting," Roos said.

"He turned around and started coming towards us. He was holding his gun inside his jacket. He looked around anxiously to see if anyone was going to stop him and then went down the escalator ... We heard some more gunfire and then another explosion, and then it was over."

Ataturk Airport is one of the busiest ports in the world, serving more than 60 million passengers in 2015.

There has been a string of bombings around Turkey over the past year, some of them blamed on ISIL, others claimed by Kurdish groups.

Earlier in June, at least 11 people were killed in central Istanbul following a bombing attack targeting a police vehicle. The armed group Kurdistan Freedom Hawks, also known by its Kurdish-language acronym TAK, claimed responsibility for that attack.


*Source: "Turkey's Erdogan vows unity after deadly airport blasts",http://www.aljazeera.com. June 30th 2016.

Istanbul Airport Attack

The three men who carried out Tuesday's deadly attack on Istanbul's Ataturk airport were all from parts of the former USSR, Turkish sources say.

One is said to be from Russia's North Caucasus region and the others from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Turkey believes so-called Islamic State (IS) was behind the suicide gun and bomb attack that left 44 people dead and some 240 injured.

Police detained at least 13 suspects in Istanbul and more in Izmir on Thursday.

Turkish media said that the three men together at the airport moments before the attack, wearing dark jackets and carrying holdalls

 An unnamed Turkish official confirmed for Reuters news agency the dead attackers' countries of origin after Turkish media reports.

Some agencies named one of the men as Osman Vadinov, said to have crossed into Turkey from the IS stronghold of Raqqa in Syria in 2015.

Reports that he was a Chechen have been denied by an unnamed police source in the North Caucasus, Russia's Interfax news agency reports.

The organiser of the attack has been named by Turkish media as Akhmed Chatayev, a Chechen believed to have acted as an IS recruiter, who is on a US counter-terror sanctions list. His fate was not immediately clear.

IS has long recruited members from mainly Muslim parts of the former USSR, with Russian President Vladimir Putin putting the overall number at between 5,000 and 7,000 in October.

However, data published by the Soufan Group security consultants in December suggests the numbers are lower: 2,400 from Russia and 500 apiece from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Growing vulnerability: Analysis by Mark Lowen, BBC Turkey correspondent
Image copyright AP
Image caption An Islamic State flag on Syria's border with Turkey at Kobane, October 2014

Many believe that some elements within Turkey's Islamist-leaning government stomached, or even fostered, jihadist groups in Syria that tallied with their beliefs, creating an environment in which IS could grow.

For the first few years of the Syrian war, Turkey's border with Syria was somewhat porous, allowing jihadists and weapons to cross in both directions - until pressure from the US and others grew and Turkey tightened controls.

Ankara has always vehemently denied the allegations, claiming there is no proof of sinister cross-border movement and that the media and Western governments are attempting to besmirch Turkey while ignoring the fact that it has taken in almost three million Syrian refugees.

But what is clear is that as Turkey has become a more active part of the US-led coalition against Islamic State, it is considerably more vulnerable.

The government has made no official statement on nationalities yet and no-one has said they carried out the attack on Tuesday evening.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday that "our thoughts on those responsible for the attack lean towards Islamic State".

Meanwhile, another Turkish official told AFP news agency: "Earlier today, the police raided 16 locations to detain 13 IS suspects, including three foreign nationals."

Turkish media said counter-terrorism police had raided several areas of Istanbul - including Pendik, Basaksehir and Sultanbeyli.

Arrests were also reported in the western coastal city of Izmir, where at least nine people were detained, accused of financing, recruiting and providing logistical support to IS.

Separately, Turkish media reported that security forces had killed two suspected IS militants on the Syrian border last Saturday. They said one had been planning an attack on the capital Ankara or the city of Adana.

Detailing the attack, Mr Yildirim said the three men had wanted to pass through the security system but on seeing the controls "took their weapons out of their suitcases and opened fire at random at the security check".

One attacker detonated his explosives downstairs in the arrivals terminal, Turkish officials said.

The second went upstairs and set off his explosives there while the third waited outside as passengers fled. He then detonated his explosives, causing the most casualties.

A Kalashnikov assault rifle, a handgun and two grenades were found on the bodies, Turkish media said.

Some 240 people were injured, dozens of whom remain in critical condition in hospital.

Dozens of anxious friends and relatives remain camped outside Istanbul's Bakirkoy hospital, waiting for news.
The victims are: Ethem Uzunsoy (ground services), Ertan An (translator), Adem Kurt (ground services), Yusuf Haznedaroglu (ground services), Serkan Turk (physical education teacher), Ozgul Ide (ground services), Caglayan Col (ground services), Mustafa Biyikli (taxi driver), Abdulhekim Bugda (ground services), Erol Eskisoy (taxi driver), Goksel Kurnaz (security guard), Umut Sakaroglu (customs officer)

It is now known that of the 44 people killed, 24 were Turkish, three were Saudis and two Iraqis. In addition, China, Jordan, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Iran and Ukraine each lost one citizen, and two Palestinians were killed.

Funerals began on Wednesday, including that of Muhammed Eymen Demirci, who landed a job on the ground services crew in May after a year unemployed, texting a friend saying "I got the job bro!"

He died waiting for a bus.

Tunisian doctor Fathi Bayoudh had reportedly been in Turkey for some weeks trying to secure the release of his son, who had been detained for allegedly joining IS.

Marvan Melhim and his wife, Nisreen, both work in Saudi Arabia, and had arrived with their three-year-old daughter.

"We heard shooting from a distance," said Marvan. "The explosion went off. I found my wife bleeding and my daughter too." Nisreen died in hospital shortly afterwards.

A friend of Serkan Turk said the physical education teacher had rushed to the site of the first explosion to help the wounded, but was killed by a later blast.

Ataturk airport

 

• Europe's third-busiest in passenger traffic after London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle, serving 61.3 million passengers in 2015. World's 11th busiest

• Opened in 1924 in the Yesilkoy area, renamed in the 1980s after the nation's first president, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

• Two passenger terminals: one domestic, one international

• To be closed after the massive Istanbul New Airport - planned to be the largest in the world - opens in the Arnavutkoy district. Its first phase is due to be operational in 2017

2016

• 28 June, Istanbul: Suicide attackers kill 43 people and injured 240 in gun and bomb attack on Istanbul's Ataturk airport

• 13 March, Ankara: Car bomb kills 35. Claimed by Kurdish militant group TAK

• 17 February, Ankara: 29 killed in attack on military buses. Claimed by TAK

• 12 January, Istanbul: 12 Germans killed by Syrian bomber in tourist area

2015

• 23 December, Istanbul: Bomb kills cleaner at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport. Claimed by TAK

• 10 October, Ankara: More than 100 killed at peace rally outside railway station. Blamed on IS

• 20 July, Suruc, near Syrian border: 34 people killed in bombing in Kurdish town. IS blamed

*Source: "Istanbul airport attackers 'Russian, Uzbek and Kyrgyz'",BBC.com. June 30th 2016.