An attempted coup is underway in Turkey. Earlier today, barricades were erected on bridges in Istanbul and jets were spotted flying low in Ankara; by 11:30 p.m., the Prime Minister said that the government remained in charge; shortly before midnight, the military—or at least part of it—said it was.
Updates in reverse chronological order:
Announcer on Turkey's TRT reads: Turkey's government no longer able to fulfil its duties
— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) July 15, 2016
BREAKING Reports of gunfire on coup protestors on Bosphorus Bridge, Istanbul, 3 wounded. pic.twitter.com/xvJiLFEF9u
— CNN Türk ENG (@CNNTURK_ENG) July 15, 2016
Livestream. People standing on tanks #turkeyhttps://t.co/7OM56J42mS
— Roman Helinski (@r_helinski) July 15, 2016
Video footage of rally happening in Ankara, Turkey following reported military coup pic.twitter.com/cJEgDUzBXb
— The Feed (@FeedNewsLive) July 15, 2016
Internet is not down. Turkey info flows is very very resistant to throttling. We're practiced. https://t.co/NNjEj2Xi3V
— Zeynep Tufekci (@zeynep) July 15, 2016
At about 12:45 a.m., Erdogan used FaceTime, Apple's video chat app, to contact a reporter; claims he's safe and that the coup will fail.
Erdogan giving a statement via FaceTime held up on live TV – what a time to be alive pic.twitter.com/aHCRNPnsQa
— NorthCaucasus Caucus (@NCaucasusCaucus) July 15, 2016
BREAKING: Turkish president's office isn't disclosing Erdogan's whereabouts, saying he is at a secure location.
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 15, 2016
BREAKING: Loud explosion heard in capital Ankara, CNN-Turk says explosion occurred at state-run television building.
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 15, 2016
By 12:30 a.m., constant rumors were flying about Erdogan's location. Before the coup reports came in, he was reportedly out of the country, and since then has been widely reported to be requesting asylum in Germany, landed in Italy, or forced to land elsewhere. UK tabloid The Mirror claims he fled the country at the outset of the coup in a private jet, but their source is an anonymous tweet.
Witness in istanbul said people in streets in mecidiyekoy neighborhood shouting "allahu Akbar"
— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) July 15, 2016
turkey coup leaders claiming they have full control, intl agreements remain. but govt vowing to fight on.
— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) July 15, 2016
Honestly, the fact that U.S. intelligence officials didn't see this coming is the scariest part. No NSA intercepts? https://t.co/FXsFsO4kMU
— Eric Geller (@ericgeller) July 15, 2016
Earlier:
Gunfire was also heard outside Istanbul police HQ and tanks are said to be stationed outside Istanbul airport. All flights are cancelled.
CNN Turk reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was "safe" but did not elaborate.
A statement from the military group read out on NTV television said: "The power in the country has been seized in its entirety." Who represents the group remains uncertain.
But Mr Yildirim told NTV by telephone: "We are working on the possibility of an attempt. We will not allow this attempt.
Civilians rush to withdraw money from ATM machines in #Turkey as military attempts coup. Picture: Twitter. pic.twitter.com/89CmBBYLLW
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) July 15, 2016
Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook are being blocked in #Turkey use #Tor! pic.twitter.com/U2gTsDlNxs
— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) July 15, 2016
VIDEO: Alleged footage of helicopter opening fire in #Turkey. pic.twitter.com/8Ho3FfFqxi
— Hamza suliman (@hamza_780) July 15, 2016
Civilians rush to withdraw money from ATM machines in #Turkey as military attempts coup. Picture: Twitter. pic.twitter.com/89CmBBYLLW
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) July 15, 2016
I can also confirm that transmission of TV channels has also been stopped in #Turkey. People r bewildered & scared to go out of their homes.
— Rehman Siddiq (@RehmanSid) July 15, 2016
Hostages taken in #Turkey after an attempted full scale military coup https://t.co/dVA9YU2hq7 pic.twitter.com/tfET0sfQjg
— The Sun (@TheSun) July 15, 2016
UK Foreign Office statement on Turkey: pic.twitter.com/DSMvBEfYb9
— Alistair Bunkall (@AliBunkallSKY) July 15, 2016
I hear shots fired in the centre of Istanbul. Long salvo's. Im not far from Taksim.
— Bram Vermeulen (@bramvermeul) July 15, 2016
Very concerned by events unfolding in #Turkey. Our Embassy is monitoring the situation closely. Brits should follow FCO website for advice
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 15, 2016
BREAKING Coup leaders claim that they take over the govt, air the statement on state TV. pic.twitter.com/tpK1UJwRXX
— CNN Türk ENG (@CNNTURK_ENG) July 15, 2016
BREAKING State-run AA: Turkey's Head of Armed Forces Hulusi Akar taken hostage at Chief of Staff HQ, #Ankara. pic.twitter.com/n6CmPa5OpO
— CNN Türk ENG (@CNNTURK_ENG) July 15, 2016
BREAKING State-run AA: Explosion in police special forces training centre in #Ankara's #Gölbaşı district. pic.twitter.com/taw1kVtDVW
— CNN Türk ENG (@CNNTURK_ENG) July 15, 2016