U.S. confirms speculation that one-armed Russian militant masterminded Istanbul attack

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, announced Friday that Akhmed Chatayev, a Russian militant, is believed to have organized the suicide bombings that killed 44 people at Istanbul's Ataturk airport Tuesday.

Known as "Akhmed One-Arm" due to his missing limb, the Chechen terrorist is known to have traveled to Syria and is "probably the No. 1 enemy in the Northern Caucasus region," McCaul said. Chatayev is believed to have 130 people under his control, and his current whereabouts are unknown, CNN reports.

"We believe [Chatayev] coordinated with the three suicide bombers in Istanbul to conduct this attack during the season of Ramadan," McCaul said. The bombers were identified as hailing from Russia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

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Chatayev was on the known list of terrorists in the U.S. after intelligence revealed last year that he was planning attacks against America as well as Turkey. He is believed to have connections to the leadership of the Islamic State.

Update 1:30 p.m.: Turkish media identified two of the three attackers Friday, CNN reports, as Rakim Bulgarov and Vadim Osmanov. The third attacker has yet to be identified.