He went on to say the army “will be cleansed” and that those responsible will “pay a heavy Price”.
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Addressing thousands of flag-waving supporters outside Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, Erdogan said he was in charge and the coup wouldn’t succeed.
Local television on Turkey showed footage of military vehicles blocking bridges over the Bosphorus in Istanbul; tanks were also deployed in Istanbul to seize local airports, meanwhile in the capital Ankara warplanes and helicopters were deployed and there were also gunshots.
Once in Istanbul, greeted by crowds of civilians, Mr Erdogan called the coup makers “a minority within the military”.
But he did appear via Facetime video on the CNN Turk network, and asked people in Turkey to go to public squares to resist the military action.
Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim: “Our people should know that we will not allow any activity that would harm democracy”. “It will end well”. However, the movement denied any involvement in the Turkish military coup attempt.
In a separate statement, Kerry said the USA viewed the “very fluid situation” in Turkey with the “gravest concern”.
Security forces in Istanbul blocked two bridges connecting the Anatolian side to the European side of the city.
Bombs struck near the Turkish Grand Assembly, witnesses said, injuring 12 people, and leaving two in critical condition.
He claimed some in the military had been taking orders from the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, and that the attempted coup showed the Gulen was heading an armed terrorist organisation. But he remained defiant, vowing: “We will not leave our country to occupiers”.
But by early Saturday, Reuters journalists saw around 30 pro-coup soldiers surrender their weapons after being surrounded by armed police in Istanbul’s central Taksim square.
Military jets took off from Eskisehir after the prime minister ordered destruction of aircraft above Ankara used in attempting military coup. NTV is reporting that helicopters are also flying over headquarters in Ankara.
Multiple blasts reportedly struck parliament in Ankara over the course of several hours, with lawmakers forced to retreat into shelters.
Turkey’s state-run news agency said military helicopters have also attacked the headquarters of TURKSAT satellite station on the outskirts of Ankara and the Ankara police headquarters.
At least 60 people have been killed and 336 detained in a night of violence across Turkey sparked when elements in the military staged an attempted coup, a senior Turkish official said.
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Turkey, a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member with the second biggest military in the Western alliance, is one of the most important allies of the United States in the fight against Islamic State.
