The ministry, in a statement today, said there are about 260 Malaysians in Turkey, including 180 students. A bomb exploded on Turkey’s parliament complex in Ankara.
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Erdogan has blamed US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen of being the mastermind behind the attempted coup.
“As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt”.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, says more than 120 people have been arrested in a coup plot.
Meanwhile, Turkish television stations TRT and CNN Turk have both resumed broadcasting after being stormed by the military and briefly taken off the air. A coup against the democratically elected government could make it hard for the United States to continue to cooperate with Turkey.
“The Government of Canada is being kept informed of developments in Turkey, and we are doing everything possible to ensure that the safety and security of Canadians in that country is maintained”.
“We call for restraint by all parties”, Trudeau’s statement said.
Turkish news agencies reported that soldiers fired on a group of protesters trying to cross the Bosphorus Bridge.
The Dogan news agency says one-way traffic on the Bosporus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges were blocked. “There was an illegal act by a group within the military that was acting out of the chain of military command”.
Mr. Gulen however denied any role, and condemned the coup attempt “in the strongest terms”.
The state news agency says the chief of staff of the Turkish armed forces was taken hostage. And Turkish broadcaster NTV reported that a helicopter controlled by the coup leaders was shot down by a Turkish military F-16. Gunfire and explosions rang out.
Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in front of soldiers in Istanbul’s Taksim Square.
Among the first reported casualties were seventeen police officers killed in a helicopter attack on the police headquarters in the capital, according to Turkish news agency, Anadolu. TV footage showed people running for cover amid gunfire. A nearby mosque made an anti-coup announcement over its loudspeakers. One Istanbul hospital said at least 150 wounded people were admitted for treatment.
In a further update, the official said attacks on the Turkish parliament and presidential palace have largely stopped.
Pro-government forces have regained control of the military headquarters, according to one senior official. The official requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in an interview over FaceTime with the CNN Turk, dismissed the action as “an attempt at an uprising by a minority within our armed forces”. However, Erdogan raised doubts about that during his address, saying, “I don’t know what the situation is concerning our chief of military staff”.
