The Islamic State suicide bomber who killed 10 tourists in Turkey Tuesday was a Syrian refugee, Turkish authorities said Wednesday.
Authorities identified the terrorist as Nabil Fadil, a Syrian citizen who entered Turkey in January and registered as a refugee, reported The New York Times. He was not on a Turkish government list of terrorism suspects.
“This person entered Turkey as an ordinary migrant,” Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Wednesday during a press conference.
Fadil detonated a suicide vest in Istanbul’s tourist district Tuesday, killing 10 German nationals and wounding 15 others. It’s the first time ISIS has primarily targeted tourists in Turkey.
The attack is likely in response to Turkey taking a more active role in the American-led fight against ISIS in Syria, analysts told The New York Times.
Turkey is working with the U.S. to seal off its border with ISIS to prevent the terrorists from moving freely back and forth. Syrians coming by land or sea to Turkey are now required to obtain visas.
“Terrorists have been using the migrant path to enter Turkey for years and they have all now set up a presence here,” a tour operator in the Istanbul tourist district told The New York Times. “We can’t expect to take in this many people and for there not to be attacks like this. It’s out of control.”
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