Gunfire rang out, troops stormed government buildings and jets roared over the Turkish capital of Ankara on Friday as Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said a group within Turkey's military was attempting to overthrow the government.
A national curfew was announced, and other security forces had been called in to "do what is necessary," Yildirim said. The Turkish government insisted that it remained in control.
"Some people illegally undertook an illegal action outside of the chain of command," Yildirim said in comments broadcast by private channel NTV and reported by Reuters. "The government elected by the people remains in charge. This government will only go when the people say so."
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the events "an attempt at an uprising by a minority within our armed forces."
Martial law and a curfew have been imposed in Turkey.
A senior Turkish official told Reuters that loyalist forces are gaining control over elements trying to overthrow the government. The official also said that the faction attempting the coup has control of some tanks and has ordered its forces to try to take over streets, but have been unable to do so in many areas. The source also said security forces are still facing some difficulties in parts of Ankara and Istanbul and that this may continue for the next 24 hours, but will be contained.
The Press Counsellor Office of the Turkish Embassy tweeted that an arrest warrant has been issued.
The Judiciary just now issued an arrest warrant for those who do these attempts
A correspondent for Turkish state broadcaster TRT told Reuters that soldiers had entered TRT buildings in Ankara. An announcer on TRT soon thereafter read a statement, on military orders, saying that democratic and secular rule of law had been eroded by the current government. A new constitution would be prepared as soon as possible, the announcer said, but for now, martial law is in effect.
A military helicopter opened fire over the Turkish capital Ankara, a Reuters witness said, as witnesses heard an explosion in the capital. CNN-Turk said that the explosion occurred at a state-run television building, according to The Associated Press.
Protesting crowds were fired upon, according to the AP and AFP, but it was unclear if coup supporters or pro-government forces fired the shots.
#BREAKING Turkey military opens fire on crowds in Istanbul, casualties: AFP photographer
A separate statement issued by the military said that all existing foreign relations would continue and that rule of law would be a priority. That statement was not authorized by military command, a Turkish presidential source said.
Erdogan said on a cellphone interview on CNN Turk that the coup was an act encouraged by a "parallel structure." He said the attempted uprising would be given the necessary response, and he encouraged citizens to go out into the streets and give their response to the military coup in public squares.
"We will overcome this," Erdogan said in the interview, adding that the attempt would be resolved in a short time, and that he is returning to Ankara. A senior U.S. military source told NBC News that Erdogan, refused landing rights in Istanbul, is reported to be seeking asylum in Germany.
Yasin Akgul | AFP | Getty Images
Turkish security officers detain Turkish police officers (in black) on July 15, 2016 in Istanbul, during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge.
The U.S. Embassy said in an emergency message to U.S. citizens that shots were fired and explosions were heard in Ankara.
Reuters reported that the commander of Turkey's "First Army" division says that those attempting the coup are a small faction and "nothing to worry about." Turkish Prime Minister Yildirim said that "gangs, illegal formations" are behind the attempted coup and called it a "terrorist act," according to Reuters.
Turkey's military, one of the largest in NATO, has traditionally served as a secular and pro-democratic force in Turkish politics since the reign of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the leader who took Turkey on a secular path in the period following the First World War.
Erdogan has had a tense relationship with U.S. President Barack Obamaand other Western leaders, but the U.S. and Turkish militaries have a close, long-running partnership.
Gokhan Tan | Getty Images
Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge on July 15, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Turkey's armed forces have been engaged in simultaneous, low-level fighting against both ISIS militants on the border with Syria and with restive Kurdish elements in Turkey and Syria.
Footage from NTV showed tanks at the entrance to Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, and all flights from the airport were reportedly cancelled. A witness reported hearing gunfire at the Istanbul airport, according to Reuters.
Reuters also reported that U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said that U.S.-bound flights from Istanbul that were in the air before the airport closed will be allowed to land in the United States. Company spokeswomen told Reuters that a British Airways flight has been diverted to Sofia, Bulgaria and that a Lufthansa flight is returning to its origin in Frankfurt.
Separately, Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge were both closed by military forces on Friday, local television channels reported, without giving a reason. Istanbul is 320 miles away from Ankara.
The State Department advised people to shelter in place and not try to go to the U.S. Embassy or Consulates.
Continue to shelter in place in #Turkey. Do not attempt to go to US Embassy or Consulates at this time. http://ow.ly/vTPS302isEt
A spokesman for Uber said that the company messaged its drivers and set up an in-app display for riders earlier in the evening, encouraging them to think of their own safety before travelling.
Many social media platforms were blocked in Turkey during Friday's events, according to internet monitoring groups. Twitter also said that it suspects "there is an intentional slowing of our traffic" in the country.
Tamamen engellenmiş olmamız için bir gerekçe olmamakla birlikte, kasıtlı olarak hizmetimizin ülke çapında yavaşlattıldığından şüpheleniyoruz
We have no reason to think we’ve been fully blocked in #Turkey, but we suspect there is an intentional slowing of our traffic in country.
Reports that social media is blocked in #Turkey. Use email/phone call/SMS to contact loved ones in area.
The dollar jumped as much as 5 percent against the Turkish lira on those reports.
Erdogan, originally came to power as prime minister in 2002 and became the country's first directly elected president in 2014. He has increasingly centralized most governmental power in that office since then, though the presidency was largely a ceremonial office up until he took the role.
Murad Sezer | Reuters
Turkish military stand guard in the Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey
Erdogan has severely curtailed freedom of speech and expression and has brought an increasingly religious bent to the Turkish government. Most of his political support is concentrated in rural, conservative, Muslim areas of the country.
Erdogan did not immediately make any public statements, but CNN Turk reported that he was safe.
CNN Turk also reported that some hostages had been taken at the Turkish military headquarters in Ankara.
The U.S. Air Force operates a base at Incirlik, Turkey, near the Syrian border. The base is home to more than 2,000 American military personnel, and the Air Force has elevated the base to its highest alert level.
The Pentagon also said that the events in Ankara have no impact on the air base and that counter-ISIL air operations from Incirlik will continue, according to Reuters. The Pentagon also said it is taking steps to ensure the safety and security of service members.
That force has grown in size in recent years as the United States has used the base to stage air strikes against ISIS fighters throughout Syria and Iraq.
Kenan Gurbuz | Reuters
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media in the resort town of Marmaris, Turkey, July 15, 2016.
The White House said Obama and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerryspoke on the phone and "agreed that all parties in Turkey should support the democratically-elected Government of Turkey, show restraint, and avoid any violence or bloodshed."
Kerry "underscored that the State Department will continue to focus on the safety and security of U.S. citizens in Turkey."
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed for calm in Turkey on Friday as the world body sought to clarify the situation in the country, said a U.N. spokesman.
"The Secretary-General is closely following developments in Turkey. He is aware of the reports of a coup attempt in the country. The United Nations is seeking to clarify the situation on the ground and appeals for calm," said spokesman Farhan Haq.
Bulgaria bolstered its patrols on the Bulgarian-Turkish border and appealed to Bulgarians to restrain from travelling to the country's southern neighbour, the government press office said in a statement.
Kutluhan Cucel | Getty Images
Police officers stand guard near the Turkish military headquarters, July 15, 2016 in Ankara, Turkey.
Iran said on Friday it was deeply concerned about the crisis in neighbouring Turkey after reports of an attempted military coup there.
"Stability, democracy and safety of Turkish people are paramount. Unity and prudence are imperative," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on his Twitter account.
Deeply concerned about the crisis in Turkey. Stability, democracy & safety of Turkish people are paramount. Unity & prudence are imperative.
Dogan News Agency footage showed cars and buses being diverted in Istanbul. 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.
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