Turkey police arrest 13 over Istanbul airport attack

A worker cleans a wall at Ataturk airport in Istanbul after a triple suicide bombing attack killed 42 people. Omer Kuscu / AP Photo

ANKARA // Turkish police rounded up 13 suspects over the triple suicide bombings at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport that left 42 people dead, a Turkish official said on Thursday.

“Earlier today, the police raided 16 locations to detain 13 ISIL suspects, including three foreign nationals,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He did not reveal the nationalities of the foreign suspects, but said it was “probable” that at least one of the Ataturk airport bombers was a foreign national.

The Hurriyet newspaper identified one of the three bombers that struck Turkey's busiest airport on Tuesday as Osman Vadinov, a Chechen of Russian origin.

Vadinov reportedly crossed into Turkey from Raqqa in Syria which authorities believe was likely behind the attack.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the carnage at Ataturk, one of Europe’s busiest airports.

* Agence France-Presse