Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has ordered aircraft hijacked by coup plotters to be shot down. Erdogan was on a seaside vacation when tanks moved into the streets of Ankara and Istanbul but flew home early Saturday.
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Gulenists are known for attempts at destabilising the country.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim appeared to be leading resistance to the coup, but as most Turks know, it is President Erdogan who wields the power and has designs on extending it.
More than 1,500 military personnel were arrested across the country, said a senior official who was not authorized to speak to the media.
At least 700 unarmed soldiers at the Turkish military headquarters have surrendered, the report said.
It is understood 46 officers involved in the coup attempt have been identified and will be arrested. Yildirim didn’t provide details, but said Turkey would never allow any “initiative that would interrupt democracy”.
As night descended on Friday in Turkey, high drama unfolded with a section of the miltary attempting a coup.
USA president Barack Obama urged all parties in Turkey to back the “democratically elected” government, while Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif said on twitter that he is deeply concerned about the crisis in Turkey.
An official at Haydarpasa Numune Hospital in Istanbul said at least 150 people were admitted with wounds, but would not comment on whether there were fatalities.
President Erdogan has blamed a “parallel structure” for the coup attempt, a clear reference to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Muslim cleric he accuses of fomenting unrest.
“Government should be won through a process of free and fair elections, not force”, he said.
But the president’s former ally “categorically” denied any involvement in the plot, calling the accusation “insulting”.
While the government has retaken control of Turkey, the country’s future remains uncertain.
Turkey’s military has said that it has “fully seized control” of running the country in a bid to protect democratic order and to maintain human rights, as state television announced that the military had declared martial law and a curfew.
Video footage showed the bridge being blocked by military vehicles. The soldiers are believed to have fled hours after a military faction attempted to overthrow the government.
Supporters of President Tayyip Erdogan celebrate with the Turkish flag in the resort town of Marmaris, Turkey July 16, 2016.
A pro-government officer was killed in the devastating attack. Discarded gear was strewn on the ground.
People take over a tank near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge during clashes with military forces in Istanbul on July 16, 2016.
Turkey banned the death penalty some 15 years ago, but Yildirim says an urgent meeting with parliamentarians and law-makers is already on the agenda to find an appropriate punishment for coup plotters. “Troops were seen on the streets and low-flying military jets were filmed over Ankara, the capital”.
The men have requested political asylum, it added.
He thanked the nation for uniting and said Turkey had “showed the world how one country can come together to defeat a common enemy”.
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Earlier, military jets were heard flying over the capital, Ankara. A coup against the democratically elected government could make it hard for the United States to continue to cooperate with Turkey. Turkey plays a key role in U.S.-led efforts against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
