Istanbul, Riyadh, Cologne-Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan said on Wednesday states should unite and wage a “joint fight” against terrorism, a day after the attack on Ataturk airport in Istanbul that killed 41 people and injured more than 200.
The office of Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin announced that 13 foreigners from several nationalities, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Tunisia, China, Iran, Ukraine and Jordan, were among the dead.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia condemned the attack and asserted its support to Ankara. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, have each sent separate cables of condolences to President Erdogan over the victims of the terrorist attack that targeted Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul.
Several countries had also condemned the attack, including U.S. President Barack Obama, who called Erdogan and offered support in the investigation.
Two U.S. officials had already said that the investigation is headed by Turkish officials, but is informatively supported by the U.S. and other states from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Several security and political officials have agreed on holding ISIS responsible for the attack in Istanbul which was executed by three suicide bombers.
German magazine Der Spiegel quoted security sources as saying that the attackers took a taxi to the airport to mislead security.
Meanwhile, the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul announced that two Saudis were killed and 29 were injured in the terrorist attack, while investigators continued to search in Turkish hospitals near the airport for a missing Saudi.
Saudi Ambassador to Turkey Adil Murad said Wednesday that after checking documents of victims of the attack, four of the people killed turned out not to be Saudi citizens.
Earlier, the Saudi embassy in Turkey had reported six Saudis were dead in the Istanbul attack.
Murad told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Since the occurrence of the attack, we have tasked a team to follow-up on the number of Saudis who were killed or injured in the explosions and to provide them with medical care in Istanbul.”
He said some of the injured Saudis, who were taken to ten hospitals, needed medical assistance while others needed translators.
Some of the wounded have already returned to the Kingdom, he added.
According to Murad, the Saudi embassy in Ankara will also secure the transport of the two bodies to Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Deputy Consul in Ankara Abdullah Al-Rushaydan told Asharq Al-Awsat that Saudi authorities are still trying to find one more missing citizen. He said four Saudis who were missing in Istanbul were later found.
Meanwhile, an official source at the Foreign Affairs Ministry said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns and denounces the terrorist attacks that targeted Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, which resulted in several deaths and injuries.
The source confirmed the Kingdom’s solidarity with brotherly Turkey.