

A military coup has been attempted in Turkey, pitching one of the Middle East’s key hubs of power into sudden turmoil and prompting supporters of the country’s elected president to take to the streets.

In a statement released through Turkish television channels on Friday night, people claiming to speak for the military said the army was in charge of the country, accusing the government of the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, of eroding Turkey’s secular traditions.

But as soldiers and tanks moved into key positions around Istanbul and the capital, Ankara, people poured into the streets. A night of confrontations, loud blasts and gunfire ensued across the capital, with at least 17 reportedly killed and scores wounded while fighter jets and helicopters buzzed overhead.

Early on Saturday morning Erdoğan’s plane landed in Istanbul, with the president clearly determined to assert that the coup had been repelled and he remained in charge.



In a live TV address after his arrival at Istanbul Ataturk airport, where he was welcomed by crowds, Erdoğan said the uprising was an act of “treason” and that those responsible would pay a “heavy price”.

“Those who stain the military’s reputation must leave. The process has started today and it will continue just as we fight other terrorist groups,” said a translation of his remarks.

The Turkish prime minister, Binali Yildirim, said in the early hours of Saturday morning that those involved in the coup were being rounded up and more than 120 arrests had been made.

On Friday night gunfire erupted outside military headquarters and vehicles blocked two major bridges in Istanbul. Soldiers and tanks at one point blocked entry to Istanbul’s main Ataturk airport and stopped flights, according to the private Dogan news agency.

But the military did not appear unified, with top commanders taking to television to condemn the action and order troops back to their barracks.

“Those who are attempting a coup will not succeed. Our people should know that we will overcome this,” General Zekai Aksakalli, the commander of the military special forces, told the private NTV television by telephone.

Fighter jets under the control of loyalist forces flew over the capital to strike at helicopters flown by coup supporters, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. Private NTV television reported that one helicopter was shot down.

Erdoğan said the uprising had been 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.

Erdogan has long accused Gulen of attempting to use his followers in the judiciary and military to undermine Turkey’s government.

According to the translation, the president said he would not hand Turkey over to occupiers and that the cabinet was functioning in Ankara. Erdoğan further said he would stay “with my people”.

Earlier, military vehicles had shut off parts of major cities and imposed a de facto curfew, with gunfire heard in the capital, Ankara, and in Istanbul, Turkey’s second city. Early on Saturday morning there were reports of explosions and tankfire at the Turkish parliament in Ankara but the exact situation was unclear.

Fighter jets and helicopters flew overhead. The president declared that orders had been given to “eradicate” those who were shooting from the air.

Barack Obama urged all parties in Turkey to back the “democratically elected” government, a clear denunciation of the attempted coup.



Erdoğan had been on holiday in the resort of Marmaris when soldiers made their bid for power. The president appeared initially unable to reach television studios as reports of the coup first spread and the military appeared on the streets. He finally speaking with CNN via FaceTime two hours into the drama.

Erdoğan, whose party won 49.5% of the vote last November, called on Turks to rally in public. “I urge the Turkish people to convene at public squares and airports,” he said. “There is no power higher than the power of the people,” he continued, adding that the judiciary “will swiftly respond to this attack”.

The events have the potential to change the dynamic of regional politics, with Turkey’s current government a key player – and previously a rare beacon of relative stability – in the troubled Middle East. Turkey is a Nato member and hosts US military bases. It is a major backer of rebel factions in the Syrian civil war and a key partner in Europe’s attempt to stop migration flows.

The British foreign office advised UK citizens in Turkey to avoid public places. Other countries gave similar advice to their nationals.

In statements to broadcasters, the coup’s leaders said that all foreign relations would remain stable under their control.

But a spokesman for the president said he remained in power. “Turkey’s democratically elected president and government are in power,” the spokesman said. “We will not tolerate attempts to undermine our democracy.”

He added: “A group within the armed forces has made an attempt to overthrow the democratically elected government outside the chain of command. The statement made on behalf of the armed forces wasn’t authorised by the military command. We urge the world to stand in solidarity with the Turkish people.”

As the sun set across Turkey on Friday there had been few signs anything unusual was about to unfold. But then came television reports that roads in Istanbul had been shut, leading to fears of another terrorist threat – days after dozens were killed by extremists at the city’s main airport.

As the night wore on rumours of a coup instead began to spread and military planes flew low overhead. Gunshots were reported in both the capital, Ankara, and in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, where secular campaigners based a shortlived protest movement against Erdogan in 2013.

On Istiklal, another of the city’s main streets, people were running in all directions. Some civilians seemed to be celebrating but others were criticising the army. They included one man with a megaphone. A soldier fired his gun into the air in order to disperse the crowd.

Army vehicles fanned out through Istanbul with tanks seen outside the country’s main airport and military trucks filmed blocking the bridges connecting the city’s Asian and European sides. A soldier was filmed telling passers-by: “It’s a coup, go home.”

A de facto curfew appeared to have been imposed by parts of the military, with one state channel reporting martial law had been imposed. Angry crowds in some areas then disregarded the apparent order, gathering to protest against the coup attempt. Some squared off against soldiers, with some army officials then reportedly opening fire in return. One video appeared to show soldiers and policemen squaring up against each other. Reuters reported that tanks had opened fire near the parliament in Ankara.

Some Turks rushed to stockpile food and water, and withdraw cash from banks, amid fears of a potential administrative meltdown in the coming days.

Turkey’s prime minister, Binali Yildirim, echoed his president’s words, telling a television interviewer: “Some people illegally undertook an illegal action outside of the chain of command. The government elected by the people remains in charge. This government will only go when the people say so.”

Turkish soldiers block Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul. Photograph: Gokhan Tan/Getty Images

The presidency claimed it had the support of opposition leaders and the army high command.

Turkey has a long history of coups but Erdoğan’s Islamist-leaning government was believed to be in a stronger position than previous civilian administrations, with the president’s position shored up during a decade of economic success. He also inserted loyalists into key parts of the state apparatus and increasingly cracked down on suspected plotters.

But recent events have destabilised the country, with Kurdish rebels fighting a new insurgency in the south-east of the country. The Syrian civil war has also spilt over into Turkey, with Isis mounting a series of terror attacks across Turkey in the past year, killing hundreds.

Erdoğan’s Islamist-aligned government was also perceived by liberal wings of Turkish society to be infringing on the secular traditions established by the father of the modern Turkish state, Kemal Ataturk.