17 ISIL suspects jailed pending trial over Istanbul airport attack

The arrest of the suspects, 11 of them foreigners, brought the number of those taken into custody over the attack to 30 after 13 were sent to jail on July 3.

The latest 17 to be held are accused of “membership of an armed terrorist organisation.”

Officials believe the triple suicide bombing at Istanbul Ataturk Airport on June 28, the deadliest in a series of suicide bombings this year in Turkey, was carried out by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). 

Three bombers opened fire to create panic outside the airport before two of them got inside and blew themselves up. The third militant detonated his explosives outside at the entrance to the international arrivals terminal. 

Russian nationals have been identified as two of the suspected bombers, state-run Anadolu Agency reported. 

Turkish officials have not commented on the report, although one official had said the attackers were Russian, Uzbek and Kyrgyz nationals.