Details are still developing, but via the AP, two explosions have just gone off at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport (IST), in addition to gunfire, wounding multiple people. As of now it’s unclear whether this was a suicide attack or something else, though I suspect we’ll know a lot more very soon.
Here’s to hoping the number of injuries is minimal.
Ugh, a crazy world we live in!
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Having worked at the Taj Mahal Mumbai during 26/11 (the Mumbai attacks in 2008), and then working to get the hotel back up and running in 3 weeks, followed by the grand reopening of the Palace Wing (the bit that was on fire), I can only say that refusing to travel to a certain place is giving in to the terrorists. Those scum tried to blow up the dome of the hotel, which is its most recognisable symbol, but the Grand Old Lady (thats what we call the hotel) never gave in. It was thanks to our customers, from around the world, that the Taj Mahal Palace, & the Oberoi are both back, and better than ever. We can never wipe away the memories of those dark days. But we can always come back stronger to show those cowards that we will never give in.
there were 42 killed 147 injured as of now
@Takhliq Khan, Aziz, and Tom I have no idea what your points are about. I was responding to a post by Greg where he expressed concern about transiting IST. I was simply saying nowhere is safe anymore. I agree that hiding in your basement at home is giving into the terrorists. Yes most of the terrorist acts I mentioned were not in airports, which was exactly my point. Why worry about transiting IST when simply being outside in Paris or on the tube in London is far more dangerous? As for the fact that the vast majority of people killed by Muslim Fascists are Muslim, or course. If Greg, who I was responding to, had said he was a Muslim, I'd have mentioned that fact. But there was nothing in his comment to indicate that. I didn't think this was a forum to discuss Sunni suicide bombers hitting Shia Mosques when they are packed full with worshippers on Shia Holy Days in Pakistan. Nor the Iranian backed Shia Militias torturing Sunni residents of the cities they are taking back from ISIS in Northern Iraq. I still don't, but that doesn't mean I am either ignorant nor uncaring about that. @SamOH Pretty clear what your political agenda is, as your post is simply a series of slurs with no substance whatsoever... :(
Those who seek to terrorise have long since recognised that airports, railway stations, buses, metro systems, shopping malls are soft targets. There is no way to protect them 100% and similar attacks have been going on for decades ( back to the 70s in Athens, Rome, Bologna, Tel Aviv and more recently in other places). They will continue and probably become more frequent as the more traditional fighting is losing. This attack is audacious and dreadful but if someone wants to do it, willing to die in the act, not much will stop them: if it's not an airport it would be a shopping mall or a school or a church. Clearly there is a heightened risk in Turkey and Egypt but there is risk everywhere: in Brussels recently I used the metro a lot , including Maalbeek (sp?) where the bomb went off. At every station, armed soldiers boarded every train, scoured the carriage and got off. What more can they do? If they have a stop and search or X-ray, Paris, London, NYC would grind to a halt. I will still take the risk .
@ Robert, Lucky covers airports and flying: Boston - not an airport San Bernardino - not an airport Paris - not an airport Orlando - not an airport IST - At an airport, we have a winner! Also you forgot BRU which Lucky also covered. This is like one of those SAT logic problems. Which of these things is not like the other. And for all of you who are scared of going to these countries after attacks, you are letting the terrorists win. You are still way more likely being killed every day in a car accident (especially in Turkey) than in a terrorist attack in one of these "dangerous" cities. The attacks are dramatic, but they are rare and isolated. Tell the terrorists FU by not changing your behavior in response to their cowardess.
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