Announcement follows dawn raids on suspected Isis cells in Istanbul, where 16 people were detained, and Izmir 
 
 Three foreign nationals – a Russian, an Uzbek and a Kyrgyz – carried out the shooting and triple suicide bombing at Atatürk airport in Istanbul, Turkish officials have said, but questions remain over security shortcomings that allowed the attackers to breach several control points and kill 43 people. 
 
 The announcement, made to western and Turkish news agencies, came as Turkish police carried out raids against suspected Islamic State cells in Istanbul and the Aegean coastal city of Izmir, arresting a further three foreign nationals. 
 
 
 
 Turkish authorities, including the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, believe Isis was responsible for the attack on Europe’s third-busiest airport on Tuesday evening, the deadliest in a string of killings and explosions that have shaken the country this year. There has been no claim of responsibility. 
 
 Turkish police have identified one of the attackers as Osman Vadinov, a Chechen from Dagestan who reportedly entered Turkey on his Russian passport about a month ago. 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest One of the suicide bomber at Istanbul Ataturk International Airport on the security cameras. Photograph: Depo Photos/REX/Shutterstock 
 
 Police said he had entered Turkey from Raqqa, the Isis stronghold in Syria, at least once before in 2015 and is suspected to have had links to jihadi cells inside Turkey. 
 
 The pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper claimed that the man suspected of being the organiser of the attack was an Isis commander of Chechen origin called Akhmed Chatayev, described by the US Treasury Department as “the commander of the Yarmouk Battalion, a Chechen faction of [Isis].” 
 
 Chatayev is said to be responsible for the recruiting and training of Russian-speaking Isis militants and was added to the US government’s list of specially designated global terrorists in 2015. He is wanted by the Russian government. 
 
 The Turkish authorities have not confirmed that Chatayev is part of the ongoing investigation into the triple suicide bombing. 
 
 During dawn raids on Thursday in 16 different locations in Istanbul, security forces detained 16 people, including three foreigners, Turkish media reported. Late on Wednesday, police carried out a sweep of the flat the three attackers had rented out in the central Aksaray district of Istanbul, securing “digital data” and “documents linked to the criminal organisation”. 
 
 Police sources quoted in the Turkish media said the attackers had taken a taxi at 8.45pm local time from Aksaray to Atatürk airport. The driver described the attackers as calm and not at all stressed. 
 
 The assault on Atatürk airport, which reopened on Thursday, has also raised serious questions about security shortcomings in Turkey and the activity of Isis cells. 
 
 Private security personnel guarding the entrance and exit doors of the international departure terminal at the time of the attack said the assailants caught police officers inside the building off guard. 
 
 
 
 “The attackers had chosen the hour just after iftar [the evening meal at the end of each day’s Ramadan fast], so they were all caught unawares,” one security guard who wished to remain anonymous said. 
 
 “Many of the policemen were hiding when the shooter made his way across the departure hall towards the VIP lounge.” 
 
 His colleague added. “What kind of safety is this? I don’t feel safe here. In Brussels they closed down the airport for several days after the attack. Here they reopened immediately, as if nothing has happened. It’s all about profit for them. Nobody cares about the security.” 
 
 While it was one of the deadliest attacks so far, the Atatürk airport attack was by far not the only one – in a little over a year, 17 similar attacks all over the country have claimed almost 300 lives, and the government is under increasing pressure. 
 
 Speaking after the attacks, the Turkish prime minister, Binali Yildirim, said there had been no security flaws at the airport on Tuesday, a comment which drew the ire of opposition politicians and commentators. 
 
 
 
 Some critics have said the coordination between the various police departments and the National Intelligence Agency (MIT) was still insufficient, pointing to the fact that MIT had warned about a possible suicide bomb attack only weeks before the assault. 
 
 Nihat Ali Özcan, a counterterrorism expert, said that while there were things to be improved, no country could hope for absolute security. 
 
 “No country is entirely safe from such terrorist attacks,” he said. “Turkey is most certainly at a geographical disadvantage and Isis has managed to establish a network here and rally recruits to its cause. We are facing a massive security challenge.” 
 
 Turkey has long been accused of turning a blind eye to the Isis threat at its borders and inside the country, and Ankara has rejected military action against the group in Syria or Iraq. Even after Turkey joined the US-led military coalition and their fight against Isis in October 2014, it remained a rather hesitant member of the alliance. 
 
 However, after a string of deadly suicide attacks on Turkish soil, Turkey has intensified the crackdown on Isis cells at home, raiding safe houses and detaining hundreds, while carrying out cross-border artillery attacks on Isis targets in Syria. 
 
 Turkey has also tightened its borders with Syria and Iraq, substantially cutting down the numbers of foreign fighters and potential Isis recruits travelling through the country. Analysts say these policy changes prompted Isis to seek revenge on Ankara. 
 
 “All these factors brought about an important shift in Isis’s attitude towards Turkey,” Özcan said. “But after the government opened the Incirlik airbase to the anti-Isis alliance last year, the group openly declared war on Turkey. There will likely be more attacks like the one in Istanbul on Tuesday.” 
 
 Among the dead identified so far are 23 Turks. Six Saudis, two Iraqis, an Iranian, a Chinese national, a Jordanian, a Tunisian, an Uzbek and a Ukrainian were also killed in the attack, Turkish officials said. 
 
 Five of the Turkish dead were policemen, and others were tourism guides waiting for clients in the arrivals area, two who worked in ground services, and at least one taxi driver. ||||| Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Turkey said early signs suggested so-called Islamic State was behind the attack 
 
 A gun and bomb attack on Istanbul's Ataturk airport has killed 41 people, at least 13 of them foreigners, and injured more than 230, officials say. 
 
 Three attackers arrived in a taxi and began firing at the terminal entrance late on Tuesday. They blew themselves up after police fired back. 
 
 PM Binali Yildirim said early signs pointed to so-called Islamic State but no-one has so far admitted the attack. 
 
 Recent bombings have been linked to either IS or Kurdish separatists. 
 
 Tuesday's attack looked like a major co-ordinated assault, says the BBC's Mark Lowen. 
 
 Ataturk airport has long been seen as a vulnerable target, our Turkey correspondent adds, reporting from a plane stuck on the tarmac in Istanbul. 
 
 There are X-ray scanners at the entrance to the terminal but security checks for cars are limited. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption BBC reporter Mark Lowen reports from on board a plane stuck on the tarmac 
 
 Pictures from the airport terminal showed bodies covered in sheets, with glass and abandoned luggage littering the building. 
 
 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attack should serve as a turning point in the global fight against militant groups. 
 
 "The bombs that exploded in Istanbul today could have gone off at any airport in any city around the world," he said. 
 
 The US called the attack "heinous", saying America remained "steadfast in our support for Turkey". 
 
 German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere called the attacks "cowardly and brutal". 
 
 'Dressed in black' 
 
 Istanbul's governor confirmed 41 people had died and 239 were injured in the attack. At least 13 of those killed were of foreign or dual nationality. Some 109 of those hurt have now been discharged from hospital. 
 
 One Iranian and one Ukrainian were confirmed dead. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Footage shows passengers taking cover inside the airport 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Will Carter, eyewitness: "We saw a flash of fire" 
 
 Reports of the attack vary but it appears the attackers opened fire at the entrance where the X-ray machines are positioned, sparking an exchange with police. At least two ran into the building. 
 
 Footage on social media shows one moving through the building as people around him flee. He is shot by police and remains on the ground for about 20 seconds before blowing himself up. All three attackers were killed. 
 
 Analysis: BBC security correspondent, Frank Gardner 
 
 The lack of any immediate claim for this attack by so-called Islamic State is not surprising. IS rarely, if ever, claims responsibility for attacks against the Turkish state yet it is quick to advertise its assassinations of Syrian activists inside Turkey. 
 
 All the signs point towards IS being the culprits. This is what British counter-terrorism officials term "a marauding terrorist firearms attack", following a pattern first seen in the Mumbai attacks of 2008. 
 
 The Istanbul targets were international air travellers and ground staff at an iconic location, the third busiest airport in Europe. 
 
 IS is targeting Turkey because it sees its government as being un-Islamic and too close to its Western allies in Nato. IS is also feeling the pressure as the Turkish authorities move to close down its networks inside Turkey. 
 
 Turkey's other main foe, Kurdish separatists, have carried out many attacks over the years but their primary targets have tended to be Turkish policemen and soldiers. 
 
 Paul Roos, who was due to fly home to South Africa, told Reuters he saw one of the attackers. 
 
 "He was wearing all black. His face was not masked. We ducked behind a counter but I stood up and watched him. Two explosions went off shortly after one another. By that time he had stopped shooting. 
 
 "He turned around and started coming towards us. He was holding his gun inside his jacket. He looked around anxiously to see if anyone was going to stop him and then went down the escalator. We heard some more gunfire and then another explosion, and then it was over." 
 
 #Pray for Turkey 
 
 Taxis were used to rush casualties to hospital after the attack. Desperate relatives of those missing later gathered outside a local hospital where many victims were taken. 
 
 Image copyright Reuters Image caption Terrified passengers were seen leaving the airport on foot 
 
 Image copyright AFP Image caption Armed police sealed off the area 
 
 Image copyright Reuters Image caption A Kalashnikov assault rifle was later found at the scene of the attack 
 
 Image copyright Reuters Image caption Ambulances flocked to the airport after explosions were heard 
 
 Image copyright EPA Image caption A number of injured people were taken to local hospitals 
 
 Flights in and out of the airport were suspended after the attack. They have now resumed, but information boards showed about one-third had been cancelled, with many delays. 
 
 Charles Michel, the prime minister of Belgium whose capital city was targeted by bombers in March, tweeted from the EU summit in Brussels: "Our thoughts are with the victims of the attacks at Istanbul's airport. We condemn these atrocious acts of violence." 
 
 #PrayforTurkey began trending on Twitter after the attack. 
 
 Ataturk airport 
 
 Europe's third-busiest in passenger traffic after London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle, serving 61.3 million passengers in 2015. World's 11th busiest 
 
 Opened in 1924 in the Yesilkoy area, renamed in the 1980s after the nation's first president, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk 
 
 Two passenger terminals: one domestic, one international 
 
 To be closed after the massive Istanbul New Airport - planned to be the largest in the world - opens in the Arnavutkoy district. Its first phase is due to be operational in 2017 
 
 Major recent attacks 
 
 2016 
 
 7 June, Istanbul: Car bomb kills seven police officers and four civilians. Claimed by Kurdish militant group TAK 
 
 19 March, Istanbul: Suicide bomb kills four people in shopping street. IS blamed 
 
 13 March, Ankara: Car bomb kills 35. Claimed by TAK 
 
 17 February, Ankara: 29 killed in attack on military buses. Claimed by TAK 
 
 12 January, Istanbul: 12 Germans killed by Syrian bomber in tourist area 
 
 2015 
 
 23 December, Istanbul: Bomb kills cleaner at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport. Claimed by TAK 
 
 10 October, Ankara: More than 100 killed at peace rally outside railway station. Blamed on IS 
 
 20 July, Suruc, near Syrian border: 34 people killed in bombing in Kurdish town. IS blamed ||||| According to Turkish officials, three attackers with suicide vests detonated their explosives at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport, killing at least 41 people and wounding more than 200 others. Editor's note: This video contains graphic content. (TWP) 
 
 According to Turkish officials, three attackers with suicide vests detonated their explosives at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport, killing at least 41 people and wounding more than 200 others. Editor's note: This video contains graphic content. (TWP) 
 
 Three attackers with suicide vests detonated their explosives at the entrance of Istanbul Ataturk Airport, killing at least 36 people and wounding 147, Turkish officials said Tuesday night. 
 
 Turkey’s prime minister, Binali Yildirim, blamed the Islamic State group for the assault, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility. All three bombers were killed. 
 
 The attack is likely to raise tensions in Turkey, which is fighting a domestic Kurdish insurgency and striking at Islamic State jihadists in Syria. Militants from both camps have carried out attacks in Turkish cities in recent months, and this is the fifth major bomb attack in Istanbul this year. 
 
 Police manning a checkpoint at the airport’s international terminal shot at two of the attackers as they approached, a Turkish official said. A third bomber detonated explosives in the nearby parking lot, the official said. 
 
 [Turkey’s increasingly desperate predicament poses real dangers] 
 
 
 
 
 
 Footage broadcast by Turkish media showed at least one blast inside the terminal, while other images showed panicked travelers fleeing and debris strewn across the terminal and parking garage. 
 
 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, 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. 
 
 Istanbul Ataturk Airport is one of the busiest in the world. But Turkey’s tourism industry has been crippled by the violence. 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. 
 
 [In Turkey, suicide bombers are targeting tourists] 
 
 1 of 41 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × What the scene at Istanbul airport looks like after gunfire, explosions View Photos Dozens are reported killed after suicide bombers attack the city’s Ataturk international airport. Caption At least 100 were killed after suicide bombers attacked the city’s Ataturk international airport. June 29, 2016 A coffin is loaded into a hearse at the forensic building close to Istanbul’s airport. Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. 
 
 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.” 
 
 Turkey is a member of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, which has lost much of its territory in Iraq and Syria but needs Syria’s border with Turkey to funnel weapons and fighters. Turkey also allows U.S. aircraft to use Incirlik Air Base to fly bombing raids on the jihadists in Syria. 
 
 The Islamic State has responded to the campaign against it with rocket fire on Turkish border towns. And if the group is indeed behind Tuesday’s attack, “this would represent a significant escalation by the Islamic State toward Turkey,” said Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. The attack would be likely to draw Turkey further into a conflict with the jihadist group. 
 
 “This is a symbolic attack against the heart of Turkey,” he said, adding that the airport is the hub of Turkish Airlines, the country’s official carrier. 
 
 Fighting the Islamic State would “now be unavoidable,” Cagaptay said. 
 
 On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara had issued a travel advisory for Turkey, warning U.S. citizens of increased threats. President Obama’s assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism, Lisa Monaco, briefed the president on the attack, a White House official said. 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, Germany, contributed to this report. 
 
 Read more: 
 
 Islamic State bombing sends a message to Turkey 
 
 Turkish president apologizes for downing of Russian warplane last year 
 
 Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world
– Police in Turkey have arrested at least 13 people, including three foreign nationals, in raids in Istanbul and around the country after Tuesday's devastating attack on Istanbul's Ataturk airport. The death toll from the attack, which has been blamed on ISIS, has now risen to 42, with more than 230 injured, and the country has declared Thursday a day of national mourning. Authorities say the three suicide bombers opened fire after failing to get past airport security, the AP reports. "When the terrorists couldn't pass the regular security system, when they couldn't pass the scanners, police, and security controls, they returned and took their weapons out of their suitcases and opened fire at random at the security check," Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says. The Guardian reports that 23 Turks, including five police officers, several tour guides, and a taxi driver, have been identified among the dead. Six Saudis, two Iraqis, a Chinese citizen, a Ukrainian, and a Jordanian were also among those killed. Another victim was Brigadier General Fathi Bayoud, a Tunisian military doctor who had traveled to Turkey in an effort to bring home a son who had joined ISIS, Reuters reports. A security source says the son, who traveled to Syria with his girlfriend several months ago to join the militants, has now been detained by Turkish troops at the Syrian border.