The Turkish Prime Minister said that parts of the Turkish military have begun to move in Ankara “outside of the chain of command”. Users on Twitter have uploaded photos of military vehicles and military roadblocks, and the two main bridges of Ankara have been blocked.
There were conflicting reports of gunfire, with some residents saying they didn’t hear anything, while select media outlets described gunfire in their reporting. However, a video posted on Twitter shows helicopters firing on ground targets. Everyone agrees that military jets are circling above the capital at this moment, but no-one knows for sure whose side they are on.
At the same time, the Turkish Military has issued a statement saying that it has taken power. We don’t know which section of the military is involved in the coup, and how widespread the support (or opposition) to it is.
Turkey’s President Erdogan resorted to Facetime to appeal the Turkish people to go out on the street and show their opposition to the coup.
Alyson Arkin, a NYC based writer has posted videos on Twitter:
VIDEO from #TurkeyCoup: Helicopter firing on #Ankara military HQ pic.twitter.com/Rd4SrGOED3
— Alison Arkin (@Cronikeys) July 15, 2016
BREAKING: Possible military coup happening in Turkey. Two bridges shut down for unknown reason. Fighter jets spotted pic.twitter.com/bdh9B9Pnw6
— Alison Arkin (@Cronikeys) July 15, 2016
BREAKING: Turkey PM confirms military coup attempt underway https://t.co/r4S4yZEhLu pic.twitter.com/EPV3u0Iuhv
— The Hill (@thehill) July 15, 2016
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says a group within the military engaged in an attempted coup. https://t.co/pzWtwtYgey
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 15, 2016