Turkish President Returns to Istanbul in Sign Military Coup Is Faltering (original) (raw)
Europe|Turkish President Returns to Istanbul in Sign Military Coup Is Faltering
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- July 15, 2016
ISTANBUL — A military coup attempt plunged Turkey into a long night of violence and intrigue on Friday, threatening its embattled president, leaving nearly 200 dead and injecting new instability into a crucial NATO member and American ally in the chaotic Middle East.
The coup attempt was followed hours later by an equally dramatic public appearance by the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose whereabouts had been unknown for hours after the plotters claimed to have taken control. Flying into Istanbul Ataturk Airport from an undisclosed location early Saturday, Mr. Erdogan signaled that the coup was failing.
“A minority within the armed forces has unfortunately been unable to stomach Turkey’s unity,” Mr. Erdogan said after the private television channel NTV showed him greeting supporters. Blaming political enemies, Mr. Erdogan said: “What is being perpetrated is a rebellion and a treason. They will pay a heavy price for their treason to Turkey.”
Mr. Erdogan suggested that the plotters had tried to assassinate him, referring to a bombing in the Turkish Mediterranean resort town of Marmaris after he left on Friday. “It would appear that they thought I was there,” he said.
Supporters of Mr. Erdogan responded to his call to take to the streets in Istanbul, and by Saturday morning, the coup appeared to be unraveling.
The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that about 200 unarmed soldiers had surrendered to the police in Ankara. CNN Turk showed video of soldiers abandoning tanks in Istanbul, and by morning, civilians were climbing onto the tanks and waving flags, according to images posted on social media. Anadolu said more than 1,500 members of the armed forces linked to the plot had been detained across Turkey, including a brigadier general in the country’s northeast.
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