Turkey’s armed forces “fully seized control” of the country Friday, according to a statement from the military published by a Turkish news agency.
Gunfire was heard outside military headquarters, fighter jets buzzed over the capital and vehicles blocked two major bridges in Istanbul.
The Turkish Prime Minister, Binali Yıldırım, has appeared on television, describing it as as a coup d’etat attempt.
“There are certain groups who took the arms trusted to them by the state and pointed them toward state employees,” Yildirim said.
“We shall determine soon who they are. Our security forces have acted against these groups.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was reported to be safe, however the official Anadolu Agency reported that the Turkish Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar was taken hostage by a group within the military.
The military said it seized control “to reinstall the constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms, to ensure that the rule of law once again reigns in the country, for the law and order to be reinstated.”
The military statement went on to say that “all international agreements and commitments will remain. We pledge that good relations with all world countries will continue.”
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