“We call for a swift return to Turkey’s constitutional order”, said a joint statement by EU President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. More than 2,800 people have been detained.
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Erdogan earlier blamed US-based religious leader Fethullah Gulen.
Traffic on the Bosphorus bridge was mostly halted in the first stage of the attempted coup.
Turkey’s military staged a coup late Friday, imposing martial law with tanks on the streets of one of America’s key North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies – taking the world by surprise, NBC News reported.
The attempted coup “began on Friday evening when tanks took up positions on key bridges in Istanbul”, says the BBC.
Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency has raised the number of dead in the attempted coup to some 90 with 1,154 wounded.
Fighter jets buzzed overhead, gunfire erupted outside military headquarters and vehicles blocked two major bridges in Istanbul.
He called on Turks to take to the streets to defend his government and said the coup plotters would pay a heavy price.
Reuters reports that the Turkish military has said in statement that military has taken over.
He was flanked by the ministers of justice and interior as well as Turkey’s top general outside his offices in the capital.
Asked if re-introducing the death penalty was an option for dealing with coup plotters, Yildirum said the Turkish government will consider legal changes, the daily noted.
Authorities had regained control of the parliament, which was hastily reconvened into a session broadcast live on television.
Addressing a crowd of thousands of flag-waving supporters at the airport later, Erdogan said the government remained at the helm, although disturbances continued in Ankara.
Erdogan said his general secretary was abducted by coup makers and there is no information on the chief of the military staff.
Akar was later rescued, the private TV station CNN-Turk reported.
How many people have been killed and injured?
“A minority within the armed forces has unfortunately been unable to stomach Turkey’s unity”, Erdogan said, adding that individuals loyal to Gulen had “penetrated the armed forces and the police, among other government agencies, over the past 40 years”.
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Crowds of flag-waving supporters of Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) appeared to have turned the tide, defying orders of a curfew and marching out onto the streets to block the attempt to overthrow the regime.
