ISTANBUL — A Chechen extremist masterminded the triple suicide bombing at Istanbul's busiest airport that killed at least 44 people, a U.S. congressman said.
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, told CNN that Akhmed Chatayev directed Tuesday night's attack at Ataturk Airport, one of the world's busiest, which also wounded more than 230.
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 him.
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 one has claimed responsibility for the attack, the Islamic State group is suspected, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeated Friday that IS was "most probably" behind it. The group has boasted of having cells in Turkey, among other countries.
"They have no connection to Islam. Their place is in hell," Erdogan said, speaking in Istanbul following Friday prayers. "These people were innocent; they were children, women, elderly ... They embarked on a journey unaware, and came face to face with death."
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.
Read Saturday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.