Attack at Sabiha Gokcen

[fireblade2000uk]

I understand that there has been an attack at Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Turkey overnight. Some aircraft damaged, mercifully no one killed but 2 people seriously injured.

[DaveReidUK]

Explosion reported in Istanbul?s Sabiha Gökçen airport, 2 wounded - Daily Sabah (http://www.dailysabah.com/istanbul/2015/12/23/explosion-reported-in-istanbuls-sabiha-gokcen-airport-2-wounded)

Above link mentions simply an "explosion", cause undetermined, no evidence quoted that it was the result of an attack.

[fireblade2000uk]

Your attachment refers to "mortar attack". But i guess you're just being pedantic! At the time of my post, reports from the same source said "attack"!

[msbbarratt]

One dead in explosion at Istanbul airport - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/turkey/12065752/One-dead-in-explosion-at-Istanbul-airport.html)

Sadly, one person (Zehra Yamac, female) has been killed and another wounded. They were both cleaners.

The explosion took place next to a Pegasus Airlines aircraft. Apparently the aircraft was empty of passengers at the time.

[Akrep]

This incident happened at 02:00 AM so luckily no pax at that time.

News is still unclear wheter it is an attack or DG accident.

Saddend by the loss of life.

[seckin]

Unfortunately SAW was attacked, 4 mortar shells(60mm) were found..
1 cleaner died 1 still in the hospital. Rumors are they were IN the plane during the attack and injured by the shrapnels going through the fuselage..
4 pegasus 1-2 THY planes were damaged(extent of the damage unknown so far)
No official commemts were made as 12 hours past

[captplaystation]

5 or 6 planes damaged :uhoh: they have done a sterling job at keeping a lid on this haven't they ?

[de facto]

they have done a sterling job at keeping a lid on this haven't they ?

And why not….I believe that with the amount of media air time of such events,feeding psychopaths,extremists and other f:mad: minds with such potential ideas which also allows them to glorify such action by repeatedly viewing/hearing it on the morning,afternoon and evening news,it is best to avoid such 'publicity".

[msbbarratt]

So hide the news is better? I am sure all would-be totalitarian governments are with you on that...

Back in the 1980s / 90s when the IRA were making a lot of nuisance bomb warnings on the London Underground the government persuaded the British press to not report the events. Worked a charm; with no publicity they gave up. A cynic would suggest that they were able to persuade the press and media to do this because they themselves were being personally affected by the disruption.

The ban on broadcasting the voices of people like Gerry Adams was intended to achieve the same effect, but the BBC and others got all haughty about freedom of the press and subverted it by using the voices of actors. Don't ever believe that the media acts in anything other than its own interests first... There's only a few niche publications that have made a reputation for publishing only in the public interest (Private Eye being a prime example) their main selling point. Hislop for PM I say.

Fortunately the policing and political effort against Northern Irish terrorism was becoming increasingly effective.

Though I reckon the most effective thing was that the likes of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness realised they had no pension plan, and that elected and practising politicians can vote themselves almost any pension scheme they want.

Pension planning doesn't work against those who have no intention to live that long in the first place...

Practically the only real reason anyone goes and shoots up Paris or a school or cinema in the States, or blows up a plane, etc is for the publicity. It's the price we pay for a free press, open Internet, Twitter, etc. The distasteful thing is that the press, media and Internet service operators and Uber all make money out of these dreadful events. One questions how much interest they have in such events being prevented. The role of the press and media in keeping governments honest is still important, though these days there's very little in that line of journalism that makes sellable news stories

It's mixed coverage for this story at the moment. Barely a mention on the BBC, still a big story in the Telegraph. I've no idea about regional coverage in Turkey.

[KelvinD]

It is certainly on the BBC web site this morning. Although they seem to think Turkey is in Europe!
Turkey Istanbul airport blast kills cleaner - BBC News (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-35167328)

[silvertate]

No idea about regional coverage in Turkey.

Well the front page in Hurriyet Daily News does not mention it (24th Dec).

There is a small report inside, but it is very brief. This is the web version. It does also contain a report about an Iranian 737 that skidded off the runway at Ataturk airport, which I had not heard about.

Hurriyet Daily News.
One killed in explosion in Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport - LOCAL (http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/Default.aspx?PageID=517&NID=92895&NewsCatID=341)

[Kirks gusset]

It was on the TV in Turkey yesterday, and local news reported 4 units of 60mm motor shells fired at parked aircraft, shrapnel pieced fuselage and damaged several Pegasus planes, one cleaner sadly later died in Hospital. Considering the presidential a 319 parks on stand 24 most of the time, it would appear a likely target and events perhaps fuelled by the recent claimed " assination" by Police in Diyarbikir of the human rights Lawyer, the event can be seen in slow motion on you tube video..we live in troubled times!

[macdo]

All getting closer to the tourist industry, bit by bit, and only a matter of time before Turkey becomes another no-go holiday destination.

[Longtimer]

Surprising that there is no evidence of mortar damage in the few pictures that been released, on the tarmac. I would have thought a mortar strike would have left a crater.

[silvertate]

Ajansa, the Kurdish news agency, is reporting that the TAK, the Kurdish Falcons, were responsible. They say that five aircraft were 'heavily damaged', but provide no evidence for that. Other pictures of the incident show soldiers searching waste ground outside the airport perimeter, but in sight of aircraft parked on remote stands.

ANF | Ajansa Nûçeyan a Firatê (http://anfenglish.com/news/tak-claims-responsibility-for-the-attack-at-sabiha-gokcen-airport)

[Machinbird]

Surprising that there is no evidence of motar damage in the few pictures that been released, on the tarmac. I would have thought a motar strike would have left a crater.
If you ever go to Dubrovnik, and walk the stone streets of the old town, you can still see the divots left by heavy mortar rounds in 1991-1992 when the Serbian-Montenegrin invaders lofted mortar rounds down on the town from the hills above.

The divots are not very deep. Most of the explosive force goes sideways and up, and the portion of the mortar round that was constrained by the stone surface just cannot accelerate and create much damage. On a softer surface, you will get craters. This relates to the instantaneous fusing of the mortar rounds. I've seen similar effects from AAA rounds on aircraft where proximity to hard surfaces acts to constrain and direct the explosive force.