It also learnt that the military coup was part of the Turkish army attempt to overthrow the government of President Erdogan. It’s unclear who in power had blocked social media sites as reported nor if Erdogan knew of the play, particularly as he took to Twitter to make a statement.
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US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking jointly after talks in Moscow, both said they hoped bloodshed would be avoided. In an attempt to consolidate his power, he had called for a new constitution that would increase the powers of the president.
There are reports of gunshots in the capital Ankara.
Erdogan has become increasingly authoritarian in recent years.
His AK Party, with roots in Islamism, has long had a strained relationship with the military and nationalists in a state that was founded on secularist principles after World War One, and which has a history of military coups. Turkey’s president remained defiant and called on people to take to the streets to show support for his embattled government. Binali Yildirim told NTV television: “it is correct that there was an attempt”. “Those who attempted this will pay the heaviest price”.
Shortly after that, state broadcaster TRT went off the air, but it has since been restored.
Hostages, including the chief of military staff, have reportedly been taken at military headquarters situated in the district of Ankara with reports of gunfire around the Secret Service building. The interview, which took place live at 12:24 am local time in Turkey was with Hande Firat, the head of Ankara for CNN Turk. Turkey has also been the launching point for many Syrian refugees heading to Europe.
On Friday, there was a surprise military uprising in Turkey.
Independent observers noted that the 1949 treaty that created the USA alliance has no mechanism for suspending members, unlike the United Nations, the European Union or the Organization of American States. The senior official told The Associated Press that all government officials were in charge of their offices. “This government will only go when the people say so”, he said. On Friday, as news of the attempted coup broke across social media, reports surfaced that Facebook, YouTube and Twitter had been blacked out in the country. Earlier in the day, military vehicles, soldiers, and security forces were deployed on the streets of Istanbul and the capital of Ankara.
A scheduled flight from Dalaman in Turkey was on the arrivals board for Newcastle global airport as expected, due a few minutes earlier than anticipated, just before 1am, but other flights out of the country were being widely reported as being unable to leave.
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Military jets and helicopters buzzed overhead sending vehicle alarms wailing throughout Istanbul and Ankara as forces closed Istanbul’s two main bridges across the Bosphorus strait.
