2016 Atatürk Airport attack

On the evening of 28 June 2016, at approximately 22:00 local time, three attackers armed with automatic weapons and explosive belts staged a coordinated assault at the international terminal (Terminal 2) of Atatürk Airport in Istanbul, Turkey. Two assailants opened fire near an x-ray security checkpoint before detonating suicide bombs after police returned fire. A third explosion occurred in the parking lot across from the terminal. Security camera footage showed one attacker walking through the terminal firing at people before being shot by a security officer; the attacker's suicide belt then detonated. Witnesses described chaotic scenes of gunfire, explosions, and passengers hiding in shops, washrooms, and under benches. A US intelligence source told CBS News the coordinated attack lasted about 90 seconds.

Three attackers and 45 other people were killed, and more than 230 people were injured. Many victims were Turkish nationals, though people of other nationalities were also killed. No group claimed responsibility, but Turkish officials said the attackers were acting on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and had traveled to Turkey from ISIL-controlled Raqqa, Syria. Turkish authorities identified two of the three attackers as Russian nationals Rakim Bulgarov and Vadim Osmanov; the third was not publicly identified by Turkish officials in the reporting reviewed. Reports also indicated the attackers came from the Russian North Caucasus region, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. A US congressman, Rep. Michael McCaul, stated the attack had been organized by Chechen extremist Akhmed Chatayev, described as a top ISIS lieutenant; Turkish and Swedish media also identified Chatayev as an organizer. Chatayev was later killed in 2017 during a shootout with Georgian police in Tbilisi.

In the aftermath, Turkish authorities detained 22 people, and a broad media blackout was imposed on coverage of the attack. Internet monitoring group Turkey Blocks reported widespread restrictions on social media and other internet services following the attack, which the United Nations Human Rights Council later described as a violation of international human rights law. Departure flights at the airport were suspended, and the US Federal Aviation Administration temporarily suspended Turkish flights to and from the United States. Airports worldwide, including in the US, Indonesia, and India, increased security in the immediate aftermath.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım accused ISIL of carrying out the attack, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the attack and pledged to continue Turkey's fight against terrorism. Turkey declared 29 June a day of national mourning. At least 80 countries condemned the attack or expressed condolences, as did the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and the European Union. A trial of forty-six people accused of involvement in the attack began on 13 November 2017 in Silivri, Turkey.