Several blasts and the screech of fighter jets were heard in central Istanbul as dawn approached.
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– Flights in and out of Turkey have been suspended.
In light of a curfew instituted by the military, Erdogan called on citizens to take to the streets in a show of support for the government.
As a coup was being attempted in the Turkish capital of Ankara Friday, the US government warned Americans there to stay indoors and to contact their family and friends to let them know they’re safe. AFP reports he told people to “take to the streets”. “They won’t succeed as long as we stand against them by risking everything”.
A protest has also formed near the parliament building in Ankara.
Turkey has faced a series of terrorist attacks – the latest, just last month in Istanbul, when terrorists killed at least 42 people and wounded more than 100 at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport.
In turn, the Turkish military issued a statement, saying that its priority was the preservation of the rule of law and the seizure of power took place in order to save the democratic system and human rights protection.
Early Saturday morning, Turkish officials said the government had managed to wrest back control from the coup plotters, whose identity remained unclear.
Earlier Turkey’s state-run news agency reported military helicopters attacked the headquarters of TURKSAT satellite station on the outskirts of Ankara and the Ankara Police headquarters.
“We have a prime minister, we have a chief of command, we’re not going to leave this country to degenerates”, shouted one man, as groups of government supporters climbed onto a tank near Istanbul’s Ataturk airport.
The upheaval began Friday evening when tanks and other armored vehicles appeared on bridges across the Bosporous in Istanbul and F-16s began streaking through the skies.
Erdogan said he believed the attempted coup would be over within a “short time” and said those responsible would pay a heavy price in the courts. Video and photos posted on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook showed large crowds marching through the streets and taunting soldiers – while Turkish military fire their guns in the air.
Turkey is in chaos right now, with supporters of President Recep Erdogan clashing with coup d’etat forces in the Turkish military. Hours earlier, as the coup attempt got under way, his office had declined to say where he was, and he was forced to give an interview over FaceTime to a television station. “It would be wrong to call it a coup”.
“The situation is largely in control”, Yildirim told Turkey’s NTV television channel. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim however told Turkey’s NTV news channel that Ankara airspace is closed.
Turkey’s Istanbul-based first army commander said the soldiers involved in the attempted coup “represent a small group” and “there is no cause for concern”, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. “Remain vigilant.” Social media – including Twitter, and Facebook -were all blocked in the country.
Military jets were heard flying over Ankara and Istanbul.
A strong military presence has been reported around the Military General Staff headquarters in Ankara.
“There are certain groups who took the arms trusted to them by the state and pointed them toward state employees”, Yildirim said.
He spoke by telephone to NTV television and also encouraged Turkish citizens to “fearlessly go out and support our security forces”.
A Turkish presidential source told Reuters news agency that the statement was not authorised by the army’s command.
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A man covered with blood points at the Bosphorus Bridge as Turkish military members clash with people at the entrance to the bridge in Istanbul on Saturday.
