Istanbul airport attackers seized on chaos to cause carnage

Thu, June 30, 2016 / 11:45 am

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Members of a flight crew arrive at Istanbul's Ataturk airport, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis
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Passengers wait for security checks as they enter Istanbul's Ataturk airport, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. Suicide attackers killed dozens and wounded scores of others at Istanbul's busy Ataturk Airport late Tuesday. AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis
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A security guard stands next to a broken window inside Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Wednesday June 29, 2016. AP Photo/Bram Janssen
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A traveler passes a broken windows at the arrivals hall at Ataturk Airport, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. AP Photo/Bram Janssen
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Construction workers repair the damaged walls and windows at the blast site at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. AP Photo/Bram Janssen
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Construction workers repair the damaged walls and windows at the blast site at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. AP Photo/Bram Janssen
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A worker wipes traces of blood from the wall of Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. AP Photo/Omer Kuscu
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A worker wipes traces of blood from the wall of Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. AP Photo/Omer Kuscu
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Family members of victims arrive at the Forensic Medical Center in Istanbul, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. AP Photo/Emrah Gurel
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An injured man leaves Bakirkoy State Hospital in Istanbul, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. AP Photo/Omer Kuscu
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Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, second right, visit a wounded man at a hospital in Istanbul, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. Hakan Goktepe, Prime Ministry Press Office
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Family members of victims cry outside the Bakirkoy State Hospital in Istanbul, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. AP Photo/Omer Kuscu
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Family members of victims cry outside the Forensic Medical Center in Istanbul, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. AP Photo/Emrah Gurel
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Family members of victims cry outside Bakirkoy State Hospital in Istanbul, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. AP Photo/Omer Kuscu
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Mourners carry the coffin of Muhammed Eymen Demirci, killed Tuesday at the blasts in Istanbul's Ataturk airport, during the funeral in Istanbul's Basaksehir neighborhood, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. Demirci was 25 years old and worked for ground services at the airport. AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis

It was an attack that echoed the carnage earlier this year at the Brussels airport, down to the taxi that carried the men to their target: Inciting panic and then taking lethal advantage, three suicide attackers unleashed a deadly tide of bullets and bombs at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, leaving 42 dead.

Authorities blamed the Islamic State for the blood bath late Tuesday, a coordinated assault on one of the world's busiest airports and on a key NATO ally that plays a crucial role in the fight against the extremist group.

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

Although the attack took a heavy toll, the assailants were initially thwarted by the extensive security on the airport's perimeter, Turkish officials said.

"When the terrorists couldn't pass the regular security system, when they couldn't pass the scanners, police and security controls, they returned and took their weapons out of their suitcases and opened fire at random at the security check," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said.

One attacker detonated his explosives downstairs at the arrivals terminal, one went upstairs and blew himself up in the departure hall, and the third waited outside for the fleeing crowd and caused the final lethal blast, two Turkish officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak about the investigation publicly. None of the attackers were Turks, a third official said.

Text: AP/ SUZAN FRASER & DOMINIQUE SOGUEL