Turkey military coup attempt thwarted, Erdogan returns (video)
Hours after an attempted military coup against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, dawn has broken in Turkey. Erdogan, addressing a crowd in Istanbul, says the coup is over and the "the government is in control", but reports of explosions and gunfire are still coming in from Istanbul. 42 people, including police officers, have reportedly been killed in Ankara. In Istanbul, powerful images of soldiers surrendering on a bridge are dominating newscasts and airwaves. It is unclear who is really in control of Istanbul and Ankara at this point in time. Istanbul's Ataturk Airport has reopened and news channels have begun broadcasting again, after being temporarily shut down by soldiers earlier in the night, CNN reports.
BBC says sixty people died during overnight clashes, many of them civilians, and 336 people were arrested. Erdogan was seen surrounded by cheering supporters, and said the coup attempt was an "act of treason" and the army must be cleansed in a live TV speech.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the situation was largely under control. He has ordered the military to shoot down aircraft being used by coup plotters. Earlier, one of the helicopters being flown by forces involved in the coup attempt was shot down over the capital Ankara. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the military chief of staff, Gen Hulusi Akar, are still unknown. He is reported to have been taken hostage by rebel soldier. Sporadic gunfire is still reported in major cities. Reports also say rebel soldiers in some areas have been surrendering their weapons to police loyal to Mr Erdogan. The surrender of one unit of 60 soldiers, who had taken control of one of the Bosphorus bridges in Istanbul, was shown live on TV on Saturday morning.
