INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Turkish Military Coup Attempt Fails, Says President Erdogan — 42 Reported Dead [Video]

By Dee Sharp
Published on: 17:36 PST, Jul 15, 2016

As reported in an earlier Inquisitr article, the Turkish military attempted to take control of the government Friday evening. According to Politico, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has now announced to the nation of Turkey that the attempt by some factions of the Turkish military failed and that the government has control once again of the country. When the coup attempt broke, the military rebels had originally shut down the airport and several media outlets, and announced that they had control of the country, but the Prime Minister of Turkey, Binali Yildirim, said that the military coup had failed and that the government was still in control. It was later revealed that the military coup plotters had indeed taken some control of the cities of Ankara and Istanbul.

Soon after the military took control, they announced the country was under martial law and for all citizens to leave the streets. The military said that it had seized control “to reinstall the constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms, to ensure that the rule of law once again reigns in the country, for law and order to be reinstated.”

President Erdogan soon told Turkish citizens that he was still in charge and urged them to take to the streets and oppose the military, showing support for the government. Over the next few hours, thousands of Turkish civilians were seen on live reports, standing up against the military, and even blocking tanks from moving. Videos showed soldiers backed by tanks that were blocking entry to the airport, before they were overtaken by coup protesters who were carrying Turkish flags.

While many speculated that the military would not fire on civilians, reports came in that civilians were fired on by the military. Once President Erdogan announced the coup was over, it was revealed that 42 people had been killed during the attempt, and many were civilians. An earlier report by the Wall Street Journal, said that 60 people were killed during the Turkish military coup skirmish. During the coup attempt, the airport in Istanbul was closed and several news outlets were shut down, including CNN Turk and NRT news stations.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that a senior Turkish government official who reported that 60 people had died also said that more than 330 people were arrested, most of them military, for the coup attempt. Once it seemed that the Turkish military coup attempt had been stopped, President Erdogan returned to the Istanbul airport and announced that the coup was over. In addition to the reopening of the airport, news outlets were also broadcasting again soon after. President Erdogan declared that those who participated in the coup attempt were traitors and they would be court-martialed. He also said that military officers of different ranks were in the process of being arrested.

As reported in the National Post, President Erdogan told the Turkish nation on Saturday morning in front of hundreds of supporters that the people who attempted the coup would not succeed as long as Turkey stood against them.

“They have pointed the people’s guns against the people. The president, whom 52 percent of the people brought to power, is in charge. This government brought to power by the people, is in charge. They won’t succeed as long as we stand against them by risking everything.”

President Erdogan also said that the coup plotters would “pay a heavy price” for their actions.

CNN News has held out on declaring the coup attempt over, because of reports of gunfire and explosions going on, saying that it is still not clear who actually has power even though the president, deputy prime minister, and prime minister have all declared that the coup attempt failed. The latest report on CNN Breaking News says that 754 people have been arrested in connection with the military coup attempt.

[Photo by Emrah Gurel/AP Images]

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