BREAKING NEWS

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Turkish President Erdogan appears in Istanbul to denounce army coup attempt.

He 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.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (centre) speaks at Istanbul airport. Photo: 16 July 2016
Forty-two people died during overnight clashes in the capital, Ankara, most of them civilians, prosecutors said.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the situation was largely under control and 130 people had so far been arrested.
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 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.
Istanbul's main Ataturk airport is now under army control, and flights - which had been interrupted for some hours - were due to resume from 06:00 (03:00 GMT).
It is unclear who is leading the plotting army group, or how much support it enjoys.
The group earlier declared that a "peace council" now ran the country and there was a curfew and martial law.

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