The announcement, made to western news agencies, came as Turkish police carried out raids against suspected Islamic State cells in Istanbul and the Aegean coastal city of Izmir. No further details were given, The Guardian reports.
Investigators had been struggling to identify the bombers from their limited remains, officials said earlier, but a pro-government newspaper had said the Russian bomber was from Dagestan, which borders Chechnya, where Moscow has led two wars against separatists and religious militants since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
Read alsoTurkish officials tell how Ataturk airport attack unfoldedA native of Chechnya, Akhmed Chatayev has been on the federal wanted list since 2008 for his participation in illegal armed groups, RIA Novosti reported.
The second alleged attacker, Osman Vadinov, whose name also appeared in the Turkish media, has never lived in Chechnya, the representative of law enforcement bodies told RIA Novosti.
