Chilling images show Istanbul bombers - and how they 'herded' victims to create more chaos and carnage

Turkish officials have released CCTV images appearing to show two of the three suicide bombers who killed at least 42 people at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, as more details emerged of how the attackers acted with deadly precision to target as many people as possible.

In a briefing, the Turkish prime minister Binali Yildirim said officials now believe the first attacker detonated his bomb outside the airport’s international arrivals hall – so his accomplices could take advantage of the chaos inside.

Turkey has blamed Isis for the attack, which injured a further 239 people, though there has been no official claim of responsibility from the group.

A number of blurry videos have emerged of the moments the bombers detonated their vests, but on Wednesday night the authorities issued two stills giving our closest look yet at the men who carried out the atrocity.

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One shows a thin man in jeans and a black puffer jacket on what was a warm summer’s night in Turkey. He stands at the entrance to the airport, alongside an unsuspecting pilot wheeling a bag.

The other shows a man dressed all in black and apparently armed with a rifle, walking past a departures board as passengers scatter in terror.

Although the attack took a heavy toll, the assailants were initially thwarted by the extensive security on the airport's perimeter, Turkish officials said.

"When the terrorists couldn't pass the regular security system, when they couldn't pass the scanners, police and security controls, they returned and took their weapons out of their suitcases and opened fire at random at the security check," prime minister Binali Yildirim said.

“One blew himself up outside and the other two took advantage of the panic created during the shoot out and got inside and blew themselves up,” he said.

Authorities have suggested the attackers were foreign nationals, though this has not been confirmed.

Witness Cihan Tunctas had just left a flight from Azerbaijan when he heard the sound of gunfire.

"Then the bomb exploded. We were at the exit and ... the roof collapsed on our heads," Tunctas said. The group tried to escape, but their path was blocked by the arrival of a second attacker," he said.

"Two of the security guards noticed him. They walked towards him. Just as they were walking towards him, I turned that way. They just caught him and at that moment he detonated the bomb."

Investigators later found a Kalashnikov assault rifle, a handgun and two grenades on the bodies, according to the state-run Anadolu news service. Raids at two addresses also uncovered encrypted organisational documents and computer files, the agency said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility by IS, which did not mention the bloodshed on its social media sites. But an infographic released to celebrate the second anniversary of its self-proclaimed caliphate claimed to have "covert units" in Turkey and other countries.

IS however, rarely claims responsibility for attacks in Turkey. One possible reason is a reluctance to be seen as killing fellow Muslims, said Anthony Skinner, director of analyst group Verisk Maplecroft. Another is its desire to exploit the violent rift between Turkey and Kurdish rebels, he said.

"It very clearly meets Islamic State's strategic objectives to leave this ambiguity," Mr Skinner said.

Mr Yildirim also suggested the attack could be linked to steps Ankara took on Monday towards mending strained ties with Israel and Russia.

Late on Wednesday, he told the Turkish public the authorities were increasingly convinced that IS, also known as Daesh, was responsible for the ghastly attack.

"Our thought that it is Daesh, continues to gain weight," he said.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press