ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
We're gathering more facts about the attack at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport. At least 36 people are dead, and more than a hundred are injured. Reporter Dalia Mortada joins us with an update from Istanbul. And Dalia, what are authorities there saying about what happened?
DALIA MORTADA, BYLINE: Well, Turkey's prime minister said in a press conference that three attackers allegedly opened fire at the airport and then detonated their suicide vests. He said that 36 people have been killed so far, and more than a hundred people have been injured. The number of casualties is expect to rise, and foreign nationals are likely among them.
SIEGEL: Do we know how this attack was carried out?
MORTADA: The prime minister said so far, based on the initial findings, the attackers got to the airport by a yellow cab. And when they got the airport, he said that they began shooting, and then they detonated their vests. They attacked during a very busy time for international travel, and Istanbul Ataturk Airport, is the country's largest international airport. And authorities are looking into up to three suicide bombers in the attack.
SIEGEL: Now, this attack is really part of a wave of attacks that Turkey has experienced. Does it fit into a pattern?
MORTADA: It does. I mean, this is the fourth attack in Istanbul in 2016, and in the last year, major cities in Turkey have seen more than half a dozen attacks. A lot of these attacks have either been blamed on ISIS or ISIS affiliates or claimed by Kurdish militants. This attack in particular actually - the prime minister said that initial findings are pointed to the Islamic State. But that's as far as - that's as much as we know.
SIEGEL: Reporter Dalia Mortada in Istanbul, thanks for talking with us, Dalia, again.
MORTADA: Thanks.
SIEGEL: The news 36 people reported dead, at least a hundred injured after an attack at Istanbul Airport. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
