Russian, Kyrgyz and Uzbek nationals behind Istanbul airport attack: Report

Turkish police on Thursday rounded up 22 suspects over the triple suicide bombings at Istanbul's international airport that left 43 people dead, a Turkish official said.

"Earlier today, the police raided 16 locations to detain 22 IS suspects, including three foreign nationals," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The death toll from Tuesday's attack rose from 41 to 43 on Thursday, Interior Minister Efkan Ala told Turkish state television, confirming that 19 of the dead were foreign nationals.

According to Turkish media, counter-terrorism police raided several districts of Istanbul, including Pendik, Basaksehir and Sultanbeyli.

Arrests were also made in Izmir, where at least nine people were detained, accused of financing, recruiting and providing logistical support to IS.

The nationalities of the men arrested on Thursday were not immediately released.

However, Turkish media and officials said on Thursday that the bombers were from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia - the Russian national being from the breakaway southern republic of Dagestan.

A senior Turkish official told CNN there was "strong evidence" that the Istanbul bombers had crossed into Turkey after spending time in Raqqa, IS's de facto capital in Syria. 

The Hurriyet newspaper identified one of the three bombers who struck Turkey's busiest airport as Osman Vadinov, a Dagestani of Russian origin.

Vadinov reportedly crossed into Turkey from Raqqa in Syria, the stronghold of the Islamic State group, which authorities believe was likely behind the attack.

He reportedly left his passport in a flat the attackers rented ahead of the assault in the central Istanbul district of Fatih, a tourist hub for the city.

There has as yet been no claim of responsibility for the carnage at Ataturk, one of Europe's busiest airports.

Turkey has attempted to crack down on IS sleeper cells at home after a string of deadly attacks blamed on the militants, who have seized swathes of land in Iraq and Syria, right up to the Turkish border.