A faction of the armed forces tried to seize power using tanks and attack helicopters targeting the Turkish parliament and intelligence headquarters in the capital, Ankara.
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USA airline regulators are banning all flights between the US and airports in Turkey as the country fought to overcome a military coup attempt that left at least 161 people dead and scores more wounded Saturday.
Gen. Umit Dundar, the newly appointed acting chief of the general staff, said more than 190 people died in clashes: 41 police officers, two soldiers, 47 civilians and 104 people described as “coup plotters”. “The Turkish parliament is on duty as one heart”, it read, naming the statement itself “historic”, in terms of highlighting unity. Rebel soldiers took over Turkish state broadcaster TRT television for a time.
Etihad said it had cancelled all flights to the Istanbul airports on Saturday.
Many people heeded Mr Erdogan’s call and took to the streets to confront the coup-plotters.
Fighter jets shot down a helicopter over Ankara and despite warnings to stay indoors people took to the streets to turn on the rebels.
Turkish military’s tanks seen on the road to the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey on Saturday.
There were frequent reports of gunfire. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a statement Saturday that democracy needed to be defended and condemned “any attempts to change the democratic order in Turkey by force”.
Istanbul’s main Ataturk airport is now under army control, and flights – which had been interrupted for some hours – were due to resume from 06:00 (03:00 GMT).
Dramatic images of the surrender of one unit of 60 soldiers on one of Istanbul’s bridges was shown live on TV on Saturday morning.
“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”.
Visiting Luxembourg, Kerry said Turkey would have to prove the wrongdoing of Gulen, who left Turkey in 1999.
Erdogan and officials from his government have, both directly and indirectly, pointed fingers at Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric and a dissident of Erdogan’s regime who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, for being behind the coup attempt.
President Barack Obama urged parties on all sides of the crisis in Turkey on Saturday to avoid destabilizing behavior and follow the rule of law, a day after a coup attempt against President Tayyip Erdogan rocked US efforts to combat Islamic State.
Alparslan Altan and Erdal Tercan, members of the country’s top court have been detained after a failed coup attempt aiming to oust the democratically-elected government on Friday night.
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation called for “full respect” for Turkey’s democratic institutions.
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“We call for a swift return to Turkey’s constitutional order”, he added. The last coup happened in 1997, when the military gave out a series of “recommendations” after the rise of the Welfare Party, an Islamic political party. Then Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, agreed to a compulsory eight-year education program that prevented students from enrolling in religious schools, a headscarf ban at universities, and other measures.
