Late on Tuesday night, three terrorists blew themselves up as security forces were trying to block their progress into the airport.

According to Turkish officials, police forces started firing at suspects when they tried to pass the international terminal's entry, before the security check.

A few hours after the attack, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced that early signs suggested that the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group was behind the bombings.

"According to the most recent information, 36 people have lost their lives," he added. A senior official had earlier put the death toll at around 50.

All flights at the airport have been canceled until further notice.

Commenting on the incident, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said, "According to the information I was given, a terrorist at the international terminal entrance first opened fire with a Kalashnikov and then blew himself up."

Following an emergency meeting with Yildirim and security and military officials, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan released a statement, calling on the intentional community to show a "decisive stance" against terrorism.

"It is clear that this attack is not aimed at achieving any result but only to create propaganda material against our country using simply the blood and pain of innocent people," he said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also condemned that attack and called for global unity in the war against terrorism. “Terror rears its ugly head yet again in our friend & neighbor’s airport.

Extremist violence is a global threat; we must confront it together,” he tweeted early on Wednesday.

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