Turkish Coup Attempt Loses Momentum: Erdogan Is Back In Istanbul After Turks Take To The Streets, Clash With Army

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– Turkish Coup Attempt Loses Momentum: Erdogan Is Back In Istanbul After Turks Take To The Streets, Clash With Army:

Live feed from Sky News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y60wDzZt8yg

Update 24: After emerging from the Istanbul airport, Erdogan is now holding a press conference.

  • ERDOGAN: COUP ATTEMPT A ‘BLESSING’ AS MILITARY TO BE CLEANSED
  • ERDOGAN: THE BEHAVIOR OF ‘NEW TURKEY’ WILL BE VERY DIFFERENT
  • Erdogan says traitors in military are taking orders from Pennsylvania, where opposition leader Gulen is based

Erdogan has accusing his old nemesis, the cleric Fethullah Gulen who lives in Pennsylvania, of orchestrating  the coup, even though moments ago Gulen’s Alliance for Shared Values condemned the coup attempt. “We condemn any military intervention in domestic politics of Turkey,” Alliance for Shared Values, group backed by preacher Fethullah Gulen, says in statement on its website.

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That doesn’t matter to Erdogan however, who continues with the well-known narrative. As a result, many have suggested that this poorly planned coup was in fact created by Erdogan himself to bolster his popularity and his international political image, and so now armed with the sympathy vote he will actively push to conclude Turkey’s conversion from a parliamentary regime to a presidential one. As such the coup was nothing more than a carefully staged prop, one which saw virtually nobody hurt, nobody arrested, and practically zero actual involvement by the “army.”

It remains to be seen if this is true.

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Earlier:

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Update 23: Or maybe it’s not over just yet. Moments ago, a group of soldiers were reported to have raided major Turkey private media group, CNN Turk. Media outlets Hurriyet and Dogan were also being taken over.

Other media outlets are being bombed outright:

At the same time more major explosions were reported at the Turkish parliament

Worse, just after Erdogan landed at the airport, a major explosion was heard on the grounds:

  • LOUD EXPLOSION HEARD AT ISTANBUL’S ATATURK AIRPORT -REUTERS WITNESS

Although he seems to be ok:

  • TURKISH PRESIDENT ERDOGAN SPEAKS AT ATATURK AIRPORT IN ISTANBUL

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Update 22: With the dynamic behind the coup clearly moving in his favor, Erdogan decided that it is now safe to go back to Istanbul, and according to local media, he just landed at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport.

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Update 21: it appears that the coup – poorly executed from the beginning with tank and helicopter support but no infantry – is effectively over. Moments ago Anadolu reported that Turkish state TV resumes normal broadcast; The army member soldiers attempting TRT seizure taken into custody. Additionally the Turkish PM has told local media the situation in Turkey is “largely under control” after military attempt to bring down government.

  • TURKEY ARMY COUP REPELLED: STATE-RUN AA CITES INTEL OFFICIAL

Meanwhile, the underpreapred troops are being arrested themselves by ordinary people in the street.

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Update 20 – Russia, who some have whispered may be behind the coup following the bad blood after the Turkish downing of its fighter jet last October, has chimed in:

“Moscow is deeply concerned about the news coming from Turkey,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that President Vladimir Putin was being constantly informed of new developments by the Russian foreign ministry and intelligence services.

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Update 19 – The military is now on the clock as it has to gain full control quickly. Alas, that means more violence, and moments ago there were reports that 17 Turkish police officers were killed in a helicopter attack while an F16 shot down a hijacked helicopter.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency says that 17 police officers have been killed in a helicopter attack on police special forces headquarters on the outskirts of Ankara. Loud explosions were heard earlier in Turkey’s capital after the military said it seized full control of the country. But government officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, tried to play down reports that the military was in control. Erdogan called for citizens to take to the streets in a show of support for the government, and said the coup attempt would be unsuccessful.

  • TURKISH NAVY COMMANDER SAYS DOESN’T ACCEPT COUP ATTEMPT:ANADOLU
  • TURKEY PRESIDENCY SAYS F16 SHOT DOWN A ‘HIJACKED’ HELICOPTER

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Update 18 – Shots fired  by military (but appear more warning shots, no injuries reported). As a reminder, Turkey has the largest military of the European NATO allies.

  • *ARMY HELICOPTERS FIRED AT TURKEY INTELLIGENCE, ARMY HQS: AA
  • 2 BACK TO BACK BOMBINGS ROCK TURKISH CAPITAL NEAR POLICE HQ
  • *PM YILDIRIM SAYS TURKEY IS ‘ON ITS FEET, ON THE STREETS’
  • *TURKEY PM YILDIRIM: WE’RE BUSY PUTTING DOWN THIS SILLY UPRISING

Update 17 – Erdogan now said to be trying to get UK asylum. According to the Daily Beast

Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan is reportedly seeking asylum in Europe, as a military coup continues in Turkey, U.S. military sources tell NBC News. Erdogan’s presidential jet was allegedly denied landing rights at Istanbul’s airport, before heading out of the country. He was then denied asylum in Germany, according to NBC, before heading to London. Addressing Turkey via Facetime, Erdo?an asserted declared, “I am president,” and vowed to crush the opposition forces. He also said “This country can’t be managed from Pennsylvania,” directly linking the coup attempt to U.S.-based exiled imam Fethullah Gülen.

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Update 16 – the people are piling into public squares, where a confrontation with the new army leaders may take place:

Update 15 – Meanwhile as Erdogan, still in an undisclosed location, is allegedly trying to obtain German asylum, unconfirmed social media reports that his request has been denied. Meanwhile, the Turkish president’s office isn’t disclosing Erdogan’s whereabouts, saying he is at a secure location, AP reports.

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Update 14- a tank said to be heading to the PM’s office in Ankara has been blocked by protesters

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Update 13 – a quick note from the Telegraph about the mood on the ground in Turkey right now:

Speaking from his hostel in Istanbul, Gabriel Turner, 23, from north London told The Telegraph that “everyone is on edge” as army jets circled the sky above the city:

Once we heard the military were taking over we thought we’d better get back to the hostel. The streets were crazy, all the cars were going at about 100 miles per hour. It is so chaotic.

Everyone is on edge. No one knows whether to trust the police and whose side they are on. I’ve been told to stay away from government buildings.

Everyone was running and shouting, trying to hitchhike because everything had stopped, there was no public transport. We hit hiked for about three miles – there were 12 of us crammed in the back of a car.

When we were on the way back, some boys said ‘stop there’s tear gas’. We decided to continue as it was the only way to get back to the hostel but I could smell something acidic in the air.

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Update 12 – Gunfire reported on Istanbul’s popular Taksim square, where the local people appear to be engaging the army

  • TANKS SEEN RUMBLING IN DOWNTOWN ANKARA
  • TURKS SEEN CLIMBING ON TANK IN ISTANBUL’S VATAN STREET: TVNET
  • POWERFUL EXPLOSION IN TURKISH CAPITAL

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Update 11 – Washington/NATO follow-up

Update 10 – Erdogan no longer welcome in Turkey

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Update 9 – Erdogan speaks from ‘secure’ site:

  • ERDOGAN: THEY WILL PAY HEAVY PRICE FOR THIS
  • ERDOGAN: `PARALLEL STATE’ THINKS IT WILL TAKE OVER COUNTRY
  • ERDOGAN: WE WILL TAKE ALL NECESSARY STEPS
  • ERDOGAN CALLS IT UPRISING ATTEMPT BY MINORITY IN ARMY
  • ERDOGAN: I INVITE NATION TO THE SQUARES AND AIRPORTS
  • ERDOGAN: NO FORCE CAN STAND POWER OF PEOPLE
  • ERDOGAN: ARMY CHAIN OF COMMAND HAS BEEN VIOLATED
  • ERDOGAN SAYS HE’S STILL THE PRESIDENT AND COMMANDDER IN CHIEF
  • ERDOGAN: I DON’T BELIEVE COUP BACKERS WILL SUCCEED
  • *ERDOGAN SAYS THEY WILL RESIST COUP TO THE DEATH

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged people to take to the streets to protest against what he described as a coup attempt by a minority faction within the military, vowing that it would meet with a “necessary response”, Reuters reports He told a CNN Turk reporter via cellphone that Turkish people must gather in public squares to show their response to the attempted military takeover, in comments broadcast live on television.

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. He said the act was encourage by the “parallel structure” – his shorthand for followers of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Muslim cleric who he has repeatedly accused of attempting to foment an uprising among his followers in the judiciary and the military.

“I certainly believe that coup plotters will not succeed,” he said, speaking on FaceTime via mobile phone in his first reaction to the move by the Turkish armed forces.

“I urge the Turkish people to convene at public squares and airports. I never believed in a power higher than the power of the people.”

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Update 8 – “Council of Peace” formed

Update 7 – The Fight is getting closer to Erdogan as the US tells US citizens on the ground in Turkey to shelter in place

VERY HEAVY GUNFIRE HEARD AT TURKEY PRESIDENTIAL PALACE

Update 6 – The State broadcaster TRT, occupied by military officers, announces that military has taken over the authority all across Turkey. The military just declared martial law.

  • TURKEY’S GOVT LOST ITS LEGITIMACY AND HAS BEEN OVERTHROWN: TRT
  • MARTIAL LAW DECLARED ACROSS TURKEY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: TRT
  • TURKEY’S STATE-RUN TRT TV READS OUT STATEMENT FROM ARMY GROUP
  • ERDOGAN ON HIS WAY TO ATATURK AIRPORT: ANADOLU

Update 5 – Chaos continues

  • TURKEY AKP MP KULUNK CALLS FOR CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE ACROSS NATION
  • KERRY: WE HOPE THERE WILL BE PEACE AND STABILITY IN TURKEY

Update 4 1657ET -Government responds

  • *TURKISH PRESIDENT ERDOGAN’S OFFICE SAYS HE IS SAFE: REUTERS
  • *TURKEY’S YILMAZ: COUP ATTEMPT BY `PARALLEL STATE’
  • *TURKEY’S YILMAZ: COUP ATTEMPT TO BE REPULSED VERY SOON

Update 3 – its’ getting violent

  • GUNFIRE HEARD IN ISTANBUL’S VATAN STREET: CNNTURK TELEVISION
  • TURKEY’S STATE BROADCASTER STORMED BY MILITARY: SKY
  • ATTACK HELICOPTERS OPEN FIRE NEAR TURKEY ARMY HQ
  • TURK POLICE RETURN FIRE AT ARMY HELICOPTER IN ANKARA: CNNTURK

Update 2 – Erdogan finally got the memo.

  • TURKEY PRESIDENCY: THIS IS AN ATTACK AGAINST TURKISH DEMOCRACY
  • TURKEY PRESIDENCY: GRP WITHIN ARMY ATTEMPTED TO OVERTHROW GOVT
  • TURKEY CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF HULUSI AKAR KEPT HOSTAGE: ANADOLU
  • ISTANBUL POLICE OPENED INVESTIGATION ON MILITARY ATTEMPT: AA  

Update – The army is now in control.

  • TURKEY ARMED FORCES SAY THEY’VE TAKEN CONTROL OF COUNTRY
  • TURKEY ARMED FORCES: TOOK CONTROL TO RESTORE FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY
  • TURKEY ARMED FORCES: WE GUARANTEE VALIDITY OF ALL INTNL DEALS
  • CAVUSOGLU: WE WILL PROTECT DEMOCRACY UNTIL THE END
  • TURKISH WARPLANES FLY LOW OVER CAPITAL ANKARA

Full statement:

military statement_0

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Shooting and explosions are being reported in the Turkish capital, Ankara, with military jets and helicopters seen in the sky above the city. According to Reuters, gunfire and explosions could be heard in the capital, where jets have been heard flying overhead, while bridges heading into Istanbul have been currently shut down. 

According to AP, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says a group within the military engaged in an attempted coup.

Flashing red Bloomberg headlines confirm as much.

  • TURKISH PRIME MINISTER SAYS UPRISING ERUPTS WITHIN ARMY RANKS
  • YILDIRIM: THERE IS AN UPRISING WITHIN ARMY RANKS
  • YILDIRIM: SOME TURKISH ARMY UNITS SIEGED SOME INSTITUTIONS
  • TURKISH POLICE ORDERED TO USE ARMS IF NECESSARY: YILDIRIM
  • TURKISH STATE-RUN TRT TV SHUT DOWN
  • GUNSHOTS HEARD NEAR PRESIDENTIAL PALACE IN ANKARA
  • *EXPLOSION HEARD NEAR TURKISH POLICE ACADEMY IN ANKARA’S GOLBASI

Curiously, the PM refuses to call this coup attempt a coup. Meanwhile president Erdogan is on holiday in the resort town of Bodrum.

As is the norm in Turkey, all social networks Twitter Facebook and YouTube have been shut down, as has the state TV.

As Reuters reported moments ago, Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge were both closed on Friday, local television channels reported, without giving a reason. Dogan News Agency footage showed cars and buses being diverted. CNN Turkey showed two military vehicles and a group of soldiers lined up at the entrance of one of the bridges in Turkey’s biggest city. A Turkish official who did not want to be named said soldiers had been deployed in other cities in Turkey, but did not specify which ones. Dogan News Agency reported the national police directorate  summoned all police to duty in Ankara.

The signs were obvious earlier. Gabriel Turner, 23, a management consultant from north London, who was on holiday in Istanbul, described to the Telegraph how there had been heavy police and security presence throughout the day before the military coup got underway after sunset. 

“Earlier today there were police everywhere. I thought that was normal but the two Turkish girls I was with told me  it wasn’t normal. We were walking around the centre of Istanbul, at the Grand Bazaar there were police at every entrance and exit with lots of guns. 

“A police helicopter was flying very low  at sunset, it was about 8pm. It looked like it was searching for something. Later on, at about 10.30 I was in Karakoy, a bar area in the city centre and everyone started looking at their phones. A man who owns the bar told us that the army are taking over everything. 

“Then we walked down towards the a quieter area by the sea. While we were walking, my friend said the army had closed brides across the Bosphorus. We could see army helicopters in the sky.

“We went inside a cafe and everyone was on their phones looking worried, texting. Lots of people were running to catch a ferry – because the bridges were shutting and people wanted to get home. Then policemen came out of the ferries on their walkie talkies, looking very alert.”

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More details:

turkey army

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The Lira has crashed to Brexit lows against the USD – down a stunning 14 handles!!

20160715_TURK3_1

And The MSCI Turkey ETF is crashing 9% after hours…

20160715_TURK1

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