イスタンブール・アタテュルク国際空港・自爆テロ
10日前に利用したイスタンブールのアタテュルク国際空港で、自爆テロ。 日本からの直行便も毎日出ているので、日本人も多数遭遇されたことと思います。 イスタンブール・アタテュルク国際空港・・世界最大級のラウンジ タイミングによっては、のんきにラウンジを楽しむどころではないし、 3週間前なら、旅行も取りやめになっていました。 ところで、 日本の新聞は、共同通信の短いものですが、欧米の新聞は、署名付きで、精力的です。 情報量の圧倒的差を見ると、彼我の差を嫌でも感じますね~ 日経新聞・・といいつつ、共同通信 よりロビーに閃光、騒然 トルコ空港テロ「男が銃を乱射」 2016/6/29 13:36 【カイロ=共同】トルコを代表する国際ハブ空港のロビーに突然オレンジ色の閃光が走り、周辺に銃撃音が鳴り響いた。28日夜(現地時間)、イスタンブールのアタチュルク国際空港で起きた自爆テロ。現地からの映像や報道は、爆発の瞬間や銃撃の様子を伝えた。空港には緊急車両が集まり、騒然とした雰囲気に包まれた。 「ちょうど空港に着いたとき、男が銃を乱射していた」。南アフリカ人の旅行者の男性はロイター通信にこう証言した。男性がカウンターの陰に身を潜めると、2度爆発が続き、しばらくすると3度目の爆発が起きたという。 現場は空港ビルの到着ロビーや、ロビー外のタクシー乗り場周辺と報じられた。到着ロビーで知人を待っていたという男性は「とてつもない爆発音だった。天井が落ちた。被害が大きくて、ここが空港とは分からないほどだった」と振り返る。 空港の床にはカラシニコフ銃とみられる銃器が残されていたと写真付きで報じられた。空港の外には多くの利用客が座り込み、途方に暮れた様子だった。被害者が運ばれた病院では、涙を流す家族の姿もあった。〔共同〕The NewYork Times より・・Attack at Istanbul Airport Leaves at Least 36 Dead By TIM ARANGO, SABRINA TAVERNISE and CEYLAN YEGINSUJUNE 28, 2016 ISTANBUL — Three suicide attackers killed at least 36 people and wounded dozens more at Istanbul’s main airport on Tuesday night, in the latest in a string of terrorist attacks in Turkey, a NATO ally once seen as a bastion of stability but now increasingly consumed by the chaos of the Middle East.Hours after the assault, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim of Turkey said that early indications pointed to an operation carried out by the Islamic State, but as of early Wednesday, the group had not claimed responsibility for the attack.The attack began shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday, Turkish officials said, when two gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at a security checkpoint outside Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, one of Europe’s busiest. They then detonated their explosives, setting off two fireballs. A third attacker set off explosives in the parking lot.Turkey has faced a string of terrorist attacks over the past year, including several in Istanbul, as it confronts threats from both the Islamic State and Kurdish militants fighting a war with the Turkish state in the southeast.Mr. Yildirim said that the three attackers killed at least 36 people, and Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said that 147 people were wounded.Most of the dead were Turks, although some were foreigners, Mr. Yildirim said. The three attackers were killed when they detonated their explosives, he said.Outside the terminal on Tuesday night, as calls went out on local news channels for blood donors and the Turkish authorities imposed a ban on publishing images of the scene of the attack, ambulances streamed in, while hundreds of dazed and scared travelers sat on the sidewalk waiting for information. And more travelers, many in tears, were streaming out of the airport.“There were blood splatters everywhere,” said Eylul Kaya, 37, sitting outside with her 1-year-old son. “I covered my boy’s eyes and we ran out.”As Turkey has faced several deadly terrorist attacks over the past year, Ms. Kaya said, she never thought she would find herself in the middle of one. “We’ve watched these attacks on TV for months, but I never imagined it would happen with so much security in an airport,” she said. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan noted that the bombing came during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and he called for global unity in the fight against terrorism.“Despite paying a heavy price, Turkey has the power, determination and capacity to continue the fight against terrorism until the end,” Mr. Erdogan said in a statement.Mr. Erdogan added: “The bombs that exploded in Istanbul today could have gone off at any airport in any city around the world. Make no mistake: For terrorist organizations, there is no difference between Istanbul and London, Ankara and Berlin, Izmir and Chicago, or Antalya and Rome.”Turkey has held itself up as an exemplar of a Muslim democracy and has sought to influence the region by reaching out to its Muslim neighbors. Early on, when Syria slipped into civil war in 2011, Turkey pushed for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad and began helping Syrian rebel groups, allowing the transit of fighters and weapons across its territory.Turkey’s Western allies, including the United States, blamed the country’s open-border policy for allowing extremist groups like the Islamic State to become powerful inside Syria, and the chaos has increasingly spilled over into Turkey, with terrorist attacks and waves of refugees.Turkey, a NATO member, has often been at odds with its Western allies over its approach to the region. The United States and others believe that Turkey’s early policy on Syria enabled the growth of the Islamic State, and they have long felt that Turkey was a reluctant partner in fighting the terrorist group. Turkey, in turn, has grown angry over American support for Syrian Kurdish rebels that it sees as terrorists because of links to Kurdish militants inside Turkey.Some of the recent terrorist attacks in Turkey — including a car bombing in Ankara, the capital, in February — have been attributed to Kurdish militants, which has heightened tensions between Ankara and Washington over the support the United States has given to Syrian Kurdish militants fighting the Islamic State.The attack on Tuesday evoked the bombing of the Brussels airport several months ago and highlighted the conundrum security officials face in minimizing casualties from terrorist attacks. In Brussels, the attackers managed to get inside the terminal and detonate their explosives. But at the Istanbul airport, the first security check is in a vestibule at the entrance to the terminal, which theoretically adds a layer of security. But even so, people have to line up there and, as the attack demonstrated, it is an easy target for terrorists.Judith Favish, a South African who was heading home, said she was at the counter checking in for her flight when she heard gunfire and then an explosion.“So I jumped across and hid under the counter and then someone told us to run, so I ran and hid in a cafeteria,” she said, standing outside the terminal. “We waited there for an hour and then we were told to get out, but no one has given us any information. I have no clothes, phone, money, nothing. Haven’t called my family. No one is telling me anything.”She paused, and then said that she had seen blood everywhere near the entranceway.Flights out of Istanbul were immediately canceled Tuesday night, and ones on their way were diverted. The airport, the third busiest in Europe and the 11th busiest in the world, was closed after the attack, but Mr. Yildirim, the prime minister, said early Wednesday that it had reopened. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded flights between the United States and Ataturk airport after the attack, but lifted the order late Tuesday.Although no group claimed responsibility for the attack, initial speculation centered on Turkey’s two main enemies: the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, and Kurdish militants linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or P.K.K., which has waged war with Turkey for more than three decades. Last year, peace talks with the P.K.K. broke down, and the two sides have been at war since. But hours after the attack, Turkish officials turned their attention toward the Islamic State.“The terrorists arrived at the airport in a taxi,” Mr. Yildirim said. “We will share more details about the attack later. There was no security lapse at the airport.”Turkey has been rocked by a series of bombings since 2014, and the attacks have been increasing in frequency. In some cases, Kurdish militants have claimed responsibility, but in others, including ones this year in Istanbul’s old city and on its main pedestrian boulevard, Turkish officials have blamed the Islamic State.Michael S. Smith II, an analyst who closely tracks the Islamic State’s propaganda online, said on Tuesday that there had been a noticeable uptick in the group’s statements regarding Turkey, especially after the announcement last year that the United States had gained access to the Incirlik Air Base.“Official claims of responsibility for most attacks the Islamic State has been accused of executing in Turkey have been notable by their absence,” Mr. Smith said in an email. “However, during the past year, a significant increase in focus on the Erdogan government’s policies within Islamic State propaganda has been used to build expectations the group will expand its terrorism operations into Turkey.”Almost immediately after the attack on Tuesday, there was speculation that it might have been a response by the Islamic State to the recent reconciliation between Turkey and Israel, which announced a wide-ranging deal this week to restore diplomatic relations. The two countries had been estranged for six years, after an episode in 2010 in which Israeli commandos stormed a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip in defiance of an Israeli blockade; several Turkish activists were killed.Mustafa Akyol, a prominent Turkish columnist, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday evening, “The fact that the attack came right after the Turkish-Israeli deal might be not an accident — if ISIS is that fast in response.”Other analysts, though, noted that attacks involving multiple suicide bombers take time to prepare and are not typically attempted on very short notice.“Unfortunately, we see the side effects of a disastrous Syria policy that has brought terrorism into the heart of Istanbul and Ankara,” said Suat Kiniklioglu, a former lawmaker who is now chairman of the Center for Strategic Communication, a research organization, in Ankara. “This is obviously intended to create an atmosphere of chaos and hit the economy and tourism.”When the attack happened, Asli Aydintasbas, an analyst and writer on Turkish affairs, was on a plane bound for Istanbul but was rerouted to Ankara, where the airport was filled with stranded and confused tourists, double-checking with airport workers that they had in fact landed elsewhere.“Our world is turned upside down,” said Ms. Aydintasbas, who has chronicled Turkey’s descent in to chaos in recent years in her columns.Referring to Istanbul, and the stature it attained in recent years as a global tourist destination, she said: “It was a happening town, cutting edge in arts and culture. It’s the kind of place that Condé Nast would write about. Now this is a Middle Eastern country where these things happen.”Correction: June 28, 2016 A previous version of this article included a death toll number attributed to The Associated Press that was incorrect. At least 36 people have been killed in the attack, not 50.*****The Washington PostDeath toll rises to 41 in Istanbul airport attackAccording to Turkish officials, three attackers with suicide vests detonated their explosives at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport, killing at least 41 people and wounding 147 more. Editor's note: This video contains graphic content. (TWP)By Erin Cunningham June 29 at 8:35 AM ISTANBUL — Turkish authorities combed through video clips and witness accounts Wednesday seeking to reconstruct how three suicide bombers laid siege to the country's largest airport, killing at least 41 people and raising questions over whether Turkey could step up its fight against the Islamic State.At least 13 foreigners were killed in the late Tuesday attack, including five from Saudi Arabia and others from China, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. At least 239 people were wounded, and a national day of mourning was declared on Wednesday, officials said.There has been no claim of responsibility. But Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the government believed the Islamic State was behind the assault at the international arrivals terminal of Istanbul's Ataturk Airport. [What we know so far after Istanbul attack] Analysts also said the attack bore the hallmarks of an Islamic State operation, including the use of multiple suicide bombers and an attack on a major transportation hub serving international passengers.Istanbul's Ataturk Airport handles more than 60 million passengers each year, and is one of the busiest in the world. The attack — the fifth in Istanbul this year — also was another potential blow to Turkey's vital dollar tourism industry.Turkey had long avoided direct confrontation with the Islamic State, which had used Turkey has a critical route for recruits and supplies. But in the past year, the two sides have exchanged fire along the frontier, and Islamic State bombers have hit targets in Istanbul and other Turkish cities. Turkey backs the U.S.-led coalition waging airstrikes against the Islamic State in neighboring Syria, but has so far held back from deploying warplanes to join the attacks. Turkey allows U.S. aircraft to use Incirlik Air Base to fly bombing raids.If a link to the Islamic State is confirmed, it would mark the group’s deadliest attack in Turkey so far. But other factions, including Kurdish rebels, have waged even bloodier attacks in Turkey in recent years, including a bombing last October that killed nearly 100 people at a peace rally in the capital, Ankara.Among the questions now is whether Turkey, a NATO member and key U.S. ally, could escalate its role in the campaign in Syria against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. Turkey is also a main supporter of Syrian rebels battling the government of President Bashar al-Assad.“For a very long time the relationship between the Islamic state and Turkey looked like a Cold War, with both sides avoiding fighting each other," said Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.If the group is behind the attack, "this would represent a significant escalation by the Islamic State toward Turkey," he said. “This is a symbolic attack against the heart" of the country.A Turkish security official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that “our first assessments of the attacks make it look like this was an ISIS attack. The target and modus operandi are similar to what we’ve seen during the Brussels airport attacks.”On Wednesday, the international arrivals terminal was empty and littered with debris and broken glass from the explosions. A flight board showed arrivals from across the globe were either cancelled or delayed. Turkish officials said that the airport had reopened, and that flights had resumed as normal.According to a Turkish official, the three bombers detonated at separate points in and around the terminal. One of the attackers detonated his explosives inside the terminal, after a policeman shot at and tackled the suspect. Another bomber triggered his explosives in the nearby parking lot, the official said.Ercan Ceyhan had just picked up relatives returning from their religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia when gunfire rang out. He saw police officers running toward the parking lot, and urged his relatives to get into his car as quickly as possible. He relayed his story to CNN Turk, the news network's Turkish-language channel."Just as we got in and started the car, there was a huge blast. It was a very big blast. The windows shattered," Ceyhan said. "Then as we started to move the car, there was a second blast. It was very chaotic. People were screaming."Iran on Wednesday said it had suspended all flights to Ataturk Airport, the Reuters news agency reported. Flights by U.S. carriers were temporarily halted in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.Like some airports in the region, bags and people are screened at the entrance to airport buildings as well as additional times inside.There was “no security lapse at the airport,” Yildirim said at a news conference at the airport after the attack. He said that the attackers arrived at the airport in a taxi and that police officers and foreign nationals were among the dead.“We urge the world, especially Western countries, to take a firm stand against terrorism,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. “Despite paying a heavy price, Turkey has the power, determination and capacity to continue the fight against terrorism until the end.”The attack on the airport “should serve as a turning point in the fight against terrorism around the world, and especially in Western countries,” he said.Outside the airport Tuesday night, stranded passengers hauled their luggage as they were evacuated from the terminal. Some travelers cried and embraced one another. One woman stood outside with a sign bearing the name of a missing passenger. Ambulances raced in and out of the area, sirens wailing.Turkey’s tourism industry has been crippled by the wave of violence, which has included blasts in some of Istanbul’s most popular spots for visitors. In April, the country suffered its steepest decline in tourism arrivals in 17 years, according to government data. Trading Economics, a global research firm, says tourism accounts for 8 percent of employment in Turkey. The airport is the hub of Turkish Airlines, the country’s official carrier.On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara had issued a travel advisory for Turkey, warning U.S. citizens of increased threats. The U.S. Consulate in Istanbul said it was working to determine whether U.S. citizens are among the victims.“We stand in solidarity with our NATO ally Turkey in combating the threat of terrorism,” said State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner. “Sadly, this murderous attack is only the latest in a series of attacks aimed at killing and maiming innocent civilians.”Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said in a statement: “Terrorists have struck again in the heart of one of our NATO allies — and all Americans stand united with the people of Turkey against this campaign of hatred and violence.”Speaking at a campaign rally in Ohio, Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, said: “Folks, there’s something going on that’s really, really bad.”In a statement, he said, “The terrorist threat has never been greater. . . . We must take steps now to protect America from terrorists, and do everything in our power to improve our security to keep America safe.”Zeynep Karatas in Istanbul and Souad Mekhennet in Frankfurt contributed to this report.