Group close to Gulen denies involvement in Turkey coup bid

Dogan News reported that military vehicles blocked two major bridges over the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul.

Two loud explosions were heard in the centre of Ankara after tanks surrounding the Turkish parliament building opened fire, Reuters reports.

Turkish television showed military tanks at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul.

But CNN-Turk, an affiliate of the USA news channel, said soldiers entered its headquarters in Istanbul.

“Turkish armed forces seized the rule of the country completely with the aim of reinstalling the constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms, to make rule of law pervade again, to re-establish the ruined public order”, the statement quoted by DHA said. “We hope our good relations with all global countries goes on”.

Erdogan called on the Turkish people to flood the streets in a show of support for his embattled government. His office declined to disclose his whereabouts, saying only that he was in a secure location. “I have never recognised any power above the will of the people”, he said. “Those who are responsible, we will give them the necessary punishment”, Erdoğan told CNN Turk via mobile.

A large crowd gathered at Istanbul’s Taksim square as well as in Ankara to protest the coup. She also announced that there was a curfew across the country until further notice, citing the need for people’s safety.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media in the resort town of Marmaris, Turkey, July 15, 2016. The Turkish prosecutor accused the paper’s owners of acting for a political rival accused of terrorism and attempting a coup.

Opposition leader claims devotion to democracy: Turkey’s main opposition leader, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, of the Republican People’s Party, said Saturday: “Our country has suffered a great deal from coups”. A coup against the democratically elected government could make it hard for the United States to continue to cooperate with Turkey.

A coup in Turkey, a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally deeply involved in the US campaign against the Islamic State in neighboring Syria and Iraq, would cause complications for the United States, which has a law against dealing with a military that overthrows a democratically elected government.

At the time of writing, it is unclear who exactly the rebelling group is comprised of. He told state news agency Anadolu, “Never ever will we allow activity that disrupts democracy”.

In 2007, the military threatened to intervene in a presidential election and warned the government to curb Islamic influences, but the action backfired and Abdullah Gul, the candidate favored by a government with Islamic leanings, took office.

Turkey was in turmoil early Saturday as a military coup unfolded, with no clarity about how widespread the putsch was or what its chances of success might be.

“There are certain groups who took the arms trusted to them by the state and pointed them toward state employees”, Yildirim said on NTV, according to the AP.

“In particular, we urge all those in a position of authority to reassure Britons and other foreign nationals now visiting Turkey that they are safe, and will be allowed to return home without impediment at the earliest opportunity”.

The Indian Embassy in Ankara has advised Indian nationals in Turkey to avoid public places and remain indoors until the situation there becomes clearer.