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Turkey: 161 dead in failed coup attempt; cleric Gulen denies allegations of being the mastermind

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DNA Web Team

Updated : Jul 17, 2016, 12:37 AM IST

Turkey: 161 dead in failed coup attempt; cleric Gulen denies allegations of being the mastermind

An attempted Turkish military coup appeared to crumble in the early hours of Saturday after crowds answered President Tayyip Erdogan's call to take to the streets to support him.

Erdogan, who had been holidaying on the coast when the coup was launched, flew into Istanbul before dawn on Saturday and was shown on TV appearing among a crowd of supporters outside the airport, which the coup plotters had failed to secure. The uprising was an "act of treason", and those responsible would pay a heavy price, he later told reporters at a hastily arranged news conference. Arrests of officers were under way, and it would go higher up the ranks, culminating in the cleansing of the military. Gunfire and explosions had rocked both the main city Istanbul and capital Ankara in a chaotic night after soldiers took up positions in both cities and ordered state television to read out a statement declaring they had taken power.

But by early Saturday, Reuters journalists saw around 30 pro-coup soldiers surrender their weapons after being surrounded by armed police in Istanbul's central Taksim square. They were taken away in police vans as a fighter jet repeatedly screeched overhead at low altitude, causing a boom that shook surrounding buildings and shattered windows.

Before returning to Istanbul, Erdogan appeared in a video call to the studio of the Turkish sister channel of CNN, where an announcer held up a mobile phone to the camera to show him. He called on Turks to take to the streets to defend his government and said the coup plotters would pay a heavy price. By the early hours of Saturday morning, lawmakers were still hiding in shelters inside the parliament building in Ankara, which had been fired on by tanks. Smoke rose up from nearby, Reuters witnesses said. An opposition MP told Reuters parliament was hit three times and that people had been wounded. A Turkish military commander said fighter jets had shot down a helicopter used by the coup plotters over Ankara. State-run Anadolu news agency said 17 police were killed at special forces headquarters there.

As the night wore on, momentum turned against the coup plotters. Crowds defied orders to stay indoors, gathering at major squares in Istanbul and Ankara, waving flags and chanting."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. Erdogan and other officials blamed loyalists of a U.S.-based cleric for the coup attempt; his movement denied any part in it.

The United States declared its firm backing for Erdogan's government. Secretary of State John Kerry said he phoned the Turkish foreign minister and emphasised "absolute support for Turkey's democratically elected, civilian government and democratic institutions". The coup began with warplanes and helicopters roaring over Ankara and troops moving in to seal off the bridges over the Bosphorus that link Europe and Asia in Istanbul.

In the first hours of the coup attempt, airports were shut and access to internet social media sites was cut off. Soldiers took control of TRT state television, which announced a countrywide curfew and martial law. An announcer read a statement on the orders of the military that accused the government of eroding the democratic and secular rule of law. The country would be run by a "peace council" that would ensure the safety of the population, the statement said.

Shortly afterwards, TRT went off the air. It resumed broadcasting in the early hours of Saturday. Anadolu said the chief of Turkey's military staff was among people taken "hostage" in the capital Ankara, but Prime Minister Binali Yildirim later said he was back in control. He said a group within Turkey's military had attempted to overthrow the government and security forces have been called in to "do what is necessary". "Some people illegally undertook an illegal action outside of the chain of command," Yildirim said in comments broadcast by private channel NTV. "The government elected by the people remains in charge. This government will only go when the people say so."

Turkey, a NATO member with the second biggest military in the Western alliance, is one of the most important allies of the United States in the fight against Islamic State, which seized swathes of neighbouring Iraq and Syria.
The Pentagon said there was no impact on operations against Islamic State from the U.S. air base at Incirlik in Turkey. Turkey is also one of the main backers of opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in that country's civil war, host to 2.7 million Syrian refugees and launchpad last year for the biggest influx of migrants to Europe since World War Two.

After serving as prime minister from 2003, Erdogan was elected president in 2014 with plans to alter the constitution to give the previously ceremonial presidency far greater executive powers. 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. The military has a history of mounting coups to defend secularism, but has not seized power directly since 1980.

LIVE BLOG

16 Jul 2016, 11:33 PM

#BREAKING Erdogan calls on US to extradite preacher Gulen in Istanbul speech
— AFP news agency (@AFP) July 16, 2016
16 Jul 2016, 11:32 PM
Turkey detains general Erdal Ozturk, commander of the Third Army: official
16 Jul 2016, 06:35 PM
Turkish Airlines have resumed flights from Istanbul's international airport. A spokesman for Turkish Airlines said flights had now returned to their normal schedule from Europe's third largest hub, though delays were to be expected.
The closure of Istanbul's Ataturk Airport late on Friday had caused the diversion of 35 airplanes and cancelled 32 flights, Turkish Airlines chairman Ilker Ayci told broadcaster CNN Turk.
16 Jul 2016, 09:30 PM
In a rare show of unity, Turkey's four parties have condemned the coup. The four parties, which run the gamut from the right-wing, Islamist-rooted AK Party founded by President Tayyip Erdogan to the left-of-centre, pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), in a joint statement, said their stance was invaluable for democracy in Turkey. The statement was read aloud in the assembly by the parliamentary speaker.
16 Jul 2016, 05:55 PM
US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen has condemned in the strongest terms the attempted coup in Turkey. He said that the government should be won through free and fair elections, not force. "I categorically deny accusations of role in attempted coup," he said. In a statement, Gulen said: "As someone who has suffered under multiple military coups, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt."

Earlier, President Tayyip Erdogan has said the "parallel structure" was behind the coup attempt -- his shorthand for followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric whom he has repeatedly accused of trying to foment an uprising in the military, media and judiciary.

Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the United States, once supported Erdogan but became a nemesis.

The pro-Gulen Alliance for Shared Values said it condemned any military intervention in domestic politics.
16 Jul 2016, 05:41 PM
Turkish authorities on Saturday removed 2,745 judges from duty following an attempted coup by a military faction overnight, broadcaster NTV reported, citing a decision by the High Council of Judges and Prosectors (HSYK). Five members of HSYK, Turkey's highest judiciary board, were also removed, state-run Anadolu Agency reported
16 Jul 2016, 04:15 PM
Turkey has asked Greece to return eight soldiers who fled there in a helicopter, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter. The soldiers are believed to have fled hours after a military faction attempted to overthrow the government.
16 Jul 2016, 04:00 PM
Greece has arrested eight men aboard a Turkish military helicopter which landed in the northern city of Alexandroupolis at midday on Saturday, the country's police ministry said.
The men have requested political asylum, it added. Greek state television ERT said the men may have been involved in Turkey's military uprising on Friday.
16 Jul 2016, 03:35 PM
A total of 2,839 members of Turkey's military have been detained in connection with an attempted coup overnight, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Saturday, adding that those detained included ordinary soldiers and high-ranking officers.

Yildirim, in a news conference in the capital Ankara, said the situation was fully under control and that "our commanders" were in charge of the military.

He called on Turkish citizens to fill town and city squares with flags on Saturday evening and said parliament would meet at 1200 GMT to discuss the attempt.
16 Jul 2016, 03:15 PM
"A country that would stand by cleric Gulen won't be a friend of Turkey and will be considered at war with Turkey," says PM Yilidirim at a press briefing.
16 Jul 2016, 02:06 PM
Acting army chief Umit Dundar said the death toll in coup attempt rises to 90
16 Jul 2016, 01:44 PM
Anyone who betrays the country will not go unpunished, says acting army chief Umit Dundar
16 Jul 2016, 01:25 PM
The death toll from an attempted coup by Turkish soldiers overnight has risen to 90, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Saturday, with 1,154 people wounded.

A faction of the military attempted to overthrow the government late on Friday, using tanks and helicopters and blocking bridges and taking over some media outlets.
16 Jul 2016, 12:31 PM
1,154 people have been reportedly wounded in Turkish coup attempt
16 Jul 2016, 12:17 PM
Watch: Pro-coup Turkish soldiers blocking Istanbul's Bosporus Bridge surrender
16 Jul 2016, 12:14 PM
Turkish authorities have detained 1,563 military personnel across the country after a coup attempt overnight by a faction of the military, an official told Reuters.

The soldiers attempted to use tanks and attack helicopters to overthrow the government.
16 Jul 2016, 11:47 AM
Supporters of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attacked a group of soldiers who had surrendered on an Istanbul bridge after taking part in an attempted coup overnight, before police intervened to rescue them, a Reuters witness said.

Erdogan had repeatedly urged his supporters to take to the streets to help put down the coup attempt, which he said had been carried out by a faction of the armed forces loyal to his arch foe, US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.
16 Jul 2016, 11:38 AM
Turkey's intelligence agency headquarters were attacked by military helicopters and heavy machinegun fire during an attempted military coup overnight, wounding at least three people, an intelligence source told Reuters on Saturday.

The head of the agency, Hakan Fidan, was at a secure location throughout the events and was in constant contact with President Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, the source said.
16 Jul 2016, 11:34 AM

Protesters celebrate on the Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul #Turkey after attempted coup plotters R detained by Police pic.twitter.com/IvUg68cvM1
— Saba Sheikh_Naaz (@iam_sabasheikh) July 16, 2016
16 Jul 2016, 11:31 AM
Turkish intelligence agency working with security forces against coup plotters in ongoing operations in Istanbul and Ankara
16 Jul 2016, 10:49 AM
Turkish official says 754 members of the Armed Forces detained after overnight coup attempt
16 Jul 2016, 10:33 AM
Turkish official says 29 Colonels and five Generals removed from posts in military after coupl attempt
16 Jul 2016, 10:29 AM

Turkish policemen cordon up around a military vehicle in Ankara, Turkey July 16, 2016. Credit: Reuters
16 Jul 2016, 10:20 AM
Fethullah Gulen issued the following statement on recent developments in Turkey on the Alliance for Shared Values
website

Fethullah Gulen
I condemn, in the strongest terms, the attempted military coup in Turkey. Government should be won through a process of free and fair elections, not force. I pray to God for Turkey, for Turkish citizens, and for all those currently in Turkey that this situation is resolved peacefully and quickly. 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. I categorically deny such accusations.
16 Jul 2016, 10:14 AM
European Council President Donald Tusk said after a coup attempt in Turkey that tensions there cannot be resolved by guns. Tusk, speaking in Mongolia during a regional summit on Saturday, also said the consequences of the coup attempt would be crucial for the whole region and for EU-Turkey relations.

Tensions, challenges cannot be solved with guns. Military coups have no place in modern Turkey. No alternative to democracy, rule of law
— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) July 16, 2016

How Turkey comes out of this crisis and deals with consequences crucial for Turkey, wider region and EU-Turkey cooperation
— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) July 16, 2016

Our hope and intention is to keep Turkey as key partner in all its dimensions
— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) July 16, 2016
16 Jul 2016, 10:05 AM
Turkish authorities detained 336 people after military officers staged a coup attempt overnight, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Saturday.

The arrests occurred across the country, he told broadcaster CNN Turk.
16 Jul 2016, 09:59 AM
Footage posted on Twitter shows a chaotic scene as coup soldiers are being arrested by Turkey police

@PoliticalShort #BREAKING: Footage #CNN
Turk HQ where coup soldiers are
being arrested by #Turkey police pic.twitter.com/q3JtB3guHr
— Saints Watch (@TheSaintsWatch) July 16, 2016
16 Jul 2016, 09:55 AM
President Erdogan said the uprising was carried out by a "minority" within the military opposed to national unity. He claimed some in the military had been taking orders from the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, and that the attempted coup showed the Gulen was heading an armed terrorist organisation. Gulen has denied involvement, reported The Guardian.
16 Jul 2016, 09:52 AM
At least 60 people killed in Turkey during attempted military coup overnights, says senior Turkish official
16 Jul 2016, 09:40 AM
Turkey appointed the head of its First Army, a group of divisions within its land forces, as acting chief of military staff on Saturday while the whereabouts of the head of the armed forces was unknown, a senior Turkish official told Reuters.

Umit Dundar was appointed after the head of the military could not be accounted for in the chaos of an attempted coup by rebels in the armed forces. Local media reports said earlier the chief of staff had been taken hostage
16 Jul 2016, 09:37 AM

Indian nationals should not travel to Turkey until situation is normal there: EAM Sushma Swaraj
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 16, 2016
16 Jul 2016, 09:34 AM
European Council President Donald Tusk called on Saturday for a swift return to Turkey's constitutional order, after a coup attempt there.

"Turkey is a key partner for the European Union. The EU fully supports the democratically elected government, the institutions of the country and the rule of law," Tusk said at regional summit in Mongolia. "We call for a swift return to Turkey's constitutional order," he said.
16 Jul 2016, 09:28 AM
Around 50 soldiers involved in an attempted military coup in Turkey surrendered on one of the bridges across the Bosphorus in Istanbul on Saturday, abandoning their tanks with their hands raised in the air, live footage on CNN Turk showed.

A Reuters witness earlier saw tens of other pro-coup soldiers surrendering to armed police after being surrounded in Istanbul's central Taksim square.
16 Jul 2016, 09:24 AM
President Tayyip Erdogan tweets the situation in Turkey is normalising
16 Jul 2016, 09:21 AM

We hv been closely following the dev's in #Turkey India calls upon all sides 2 support democracy & mandate of the ballot, & avoid bloodshed.
— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) July 16, 2016
16 Jul 2016, 09:18 AM
Turkish authorities shot down a military helicopter apparently operated by soldiers trying to stage a coup as it fired on the offices of state satellite operator Turksat in the capital Ankara on Saturday, broadcaster CNN Turk said.
16 Jul 2016, 09:13 AM

Recep Tayyip Erdogan President of Turkey tweets
We're going to be one. We're going to be big. We're going to be alive. All together Turkey!
16 Jul 2016, 09:10 AM
CNN Turk reports Turkish authorities shoot down military helicopter firing on offices of state satellite operator Turksat
16 Jul 2016, 09:08 AM
Watch: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan makes a FaceTime call during attempted coup to Al Jazeera
16 Jul 2016, 08:58 AM
Footage posted on Twitter shows the beginning of the Turkish Coup attempt.

The Bosphorus bridge in #Turkey, scene to the beginning of the #TurkishCoup attempt, at daylight. Gunfire crackles. pic.twitter.com/3rkaBHjujn
— NK (@hyp3rfr3ak) July 16, 2016
16 Jul 2016, 08:46 AM
Istanbul airport under control of soldiers loyal to government, says senior Turkish official
16 Jul 2016, 08:44 AM
Istanbul airport under control of soldiers loyal to government, says senior Turkish official
16 Jul 2016, 08:32 AM
MEA advisory after Turkey coup:

Our Embassy in Ankara advises Indian nationals in Turkey to avoid public places and remain indoors until the situation there becomes clearer
— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) July 15, 2016

#SituationinTurkey Emergency contact numbers for Indian nationals
In Ankara: +905303142203
In Istanbul: +905305671095
— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) July 15, 2016
16 Jul 2016, 08:31 AM
PM Erdogan says more than 120 arrested over coup attempt
16 Jul 2016, 08:30 AM
PM Erdogan says more than 120 arrested over coup attempt

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