ISTANBUL—A Chechen extremist masterminded the triple suicide bombing at Istanbul’s busiest airport that killed at least 44 people, a U.S. congressman has said.
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, told CNN that Akhmed Chatayev directed Tuesday night’s gun-and-bomb attack at Ataturk Airport, one of the world’s busiest, which also wounded more than 230 other people.
Turkish and Swedish media have also identified Chatayev as the organizer, although Turkish authorities have not confirmed his involvement. Sabah newspaper, which is close to the government, said police had launched a manhunt to catch the alleged mastermind.
McCaul said it is unclear where Chatayev is, but he is known to have served as a top lieutenant in the Islamic State group’s war ministry.
Although no group has claimed responsibility, the IS group is the main suspect for the airport attack. The group has boasted of having cells in Turkey, among other countries.
Authorities said the three suicide bombers in the attack — which echoed the carnage earlier this year at the Brussels airport — were from Russia and the Central Asian nations of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. They did not provide further details on their identities
