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Turkey Names Russian National as Istanbul Airport Bomber

Passengers embrace each other at the entrance to Istanbul's Ataturk airport, June 29, 2016.

A Russian citizen was among the three suicide bombers who attacked Istanbul airport on Tuesday, the Reuters news agency reported, citing an unnamed Turkish government official.

The two other suspects were from the former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, the official told Reuters. No other additional details were provided beyond the attackers' nationalities.

The Turkish media reported earlier on Wednesday that one of the men involved in the attack was Osman Vadinov from Russia's republic of Chechnya. He reportedly came to Turkey from Islamic State’s de facto capital of Raqqa.

Russia's law enforcement agencies have denied the involvement of a Chechen native in the attack.

“No one called Osman Vadinov has never lived in Chechnya. It is not a Chechen name or surname,” a source inside North Caucasus Federal District law enforcement told the Interfax news agency.

Istanbul's Ataturk airport was rocked by three explosions and gunfire on Tuesday evening, killing 43 people and injuring another 239. The attack was carried out by three men who Turkish authorities believe to be members of Islamic State.

The Islamic State is a terrorist organization banned in Russia.

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