As Turkey descends into chaos, with members of the country’s military attempting a coup, president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has appeared on national television in a Facetime interview, denouncing the plot against him.
In the interview, the president claimed that the coup originated from a “minority” within the country’s military, saying “I certainly believe that coup plotters will not succeed”, and that they will pay a very heavy price.
Erdogan addresses the nation by iPhone: “I am the president” pic.twitter.com/ogMROOVtkx
— Oren Kessler (@OrenKessler) July 15, 2016
As the broadcast continued, he insisted that he is still president, then urged the people of Turkey to gather at public squares and airports, saying “I never believed in a power higher than the power of the people.”
Erdogan’s whereabouts are currently unconfirmed – while presidential sources say he is in a “secure location”, per government protocol, MSNBC report that he is in a plane, attempting to seek asylum in Europe.
Per NBC, German authorities have rejected Erdogan’s asylum request, and he is currently en route to London.
DURUM| Tanklar?n üstünde siviller var, askerlere müdahale ediliyor pic.twitter.com/gE0eMQj58P
— MUSA KESLER (@MuSaKesLeR) July 15, 2016
A Turkish military group calling itself the Peace At Home Council is reportedly behind the attempted coup. They claim to have seized power in the country, with reports of gunfire and explosions around the capital, and chaotic scenes unfolding on social media.
The military group claim they acted “in order to ensure and restore constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms and let the supremacy law in the country prevail, to restore order which was disrupted.”
In a statement, the group said that “all our international agreements and commitments retain their validity. We hope our good relations will continue with all countries in the world.”
The U.S. State Department have issued an emergency alert for all Americans in Turkey, saying:
“Shots fired and explosions have been heard in Ankara and both bridges in Istanbul, the Bosphorous and Faith Sultan Mehmet, are now closed. Martial law and a curfew have been imposed in Turkey. All flights at Atatürk Istanbul airport have been suspended.”
U.S. president Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have released a joint statement saying that “all parties in Turkey should support the democratically-elected Government of Turkey, show restraint, and avoid any violence or bloodshed.”
Source: The Daily Beast / The Guardian.
Photo: Burek Kara / Getty.
