Turkish intelligence warned of potential Istanbul airport attack around 20 days ago: Report

ISTANBUL

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Turkish intelligence units sent a warning letter to related state institutions about a potential attack by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadist group targeting Istanbul around 20 days ago, before the city’s main airport was hit in a deadly terror attack late on June 28, a senior Turkish journalist based in Ankara has reported.

Speaking during a live broadcast on June 29, Doğan TV's Ankara representative Hande Fırat stated that intelligence units sent a warning letter to all state institutions about a possible attack on Istanbul.

“Intelligence units sent a warning letter to the top of the state and all its institutions in early June, around 20 days ago, about Istanbul,” Fırat said.

She added that the name of targeted places was included on the list in the message, with the Istanbul Atatürk Airport also mentioned.

According to the Istanbul Governor’s Office, at least 41 people were killed and 239 others were injured when suspected ISIL militants attacked Istanbul Atatürk Airport late on June 28.

Thirteen of the victims were foreign including five Saudi Arabian nationals, one Tunisian, one Uzbek, two Iraqis, one Jordanian, one Ukrainian, one Iranian and one person of East Turkestan origin.

The Turkish Prime Ministry declared an official day of mourning on June 29 due to the losses suffered in the attack.