The president’s office refused to disclose Mr Erdogan’s whereabouts, saying he was at a secure location. The official requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Advertisement
He told CNN Turk by mobile phone the action was by a “parallel structure” that would bring the necessary response. Washington has also accused Erdogan of failing to do enough to stop the flow of foreign fighters loyal to the Islamic State into Syria.
Turkey’s armed forces said on Friday they had taken power in the country to protect the democratic order and to maintain human rights, APA reports quoting Reuters. Two other tanks and a military vehicle were stationed in front of the VIP terminal.
Dogan News Agency reported the national police directorate had summoned all police to duty in Ankara.
“Some people illegally undertook an illegal action outside of the chain of command”, Yildirim said in comments broadcast by private channel NTV.
“Those behind the attempted coup would pay the highest price”. “We will not allow this attempt”, the Prime Minister told NTV television.
Military jets were heard flying over Ankara and Istanbul. He said that the government remained in charge.
Meanwhile, Turks poured out into the streets despite the sound of explosions and gunfire in Istanbul.
The state-run Anadolu news agency said the chief of Turkey’s military staff was among people taken “hostage” in the capital Ankara.
The U.S. State Department said in a travel report on Twitter that it was “confirming media reports of gunshots & possible attemted uprising in $Turkey”. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also said he spoke to Cavusoglu and called for respect for democracy.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on citizens to take to the streets in a show of support for the government.
Turkey’s Istanbul-based first army commander says the soldiers involved in an attempted coup “represent a small group” and “there is no cause for concern”, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. A nearby mosque made an anti-coup announcement over its loudspeakers.
Dozen of tanks were seen moving towards a palace that is now used by the prime minister and deputy prime ministers. Those in the auto escaped.
Advertisement
Turkey Blocks, a Twitter account that regularly checks if sites are being blocked in the country, reported at 1:04 PM Pacific (11:04 PM Istanbul time) that Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube were all unresponsive, though Instagram and Vimeo remained available.
