THO Special Brief: Attempted Military Coup in Turkey
How did it begin? On July 15th, at about 10:00 pm, the coup attempt began with shots inside the General Staff complex in Ankara. Shortly after, the Presidential Complex in Ankara came under fire by tanks and helicopters. Meanwhile, it was reported that military forces had closed Istanbul's Bosphorus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridges, and the Ataturk Airport was shut-down. Factions of the Turkish military took control of the state broadcasting agency TRT to officially announce the coup. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim informed the nation that a coup attempt was underway. Addressing the nation via mobile telephone, President Erdogan confirmed the coup and urged people to resist and defend Turkey’s democracy by getting out to streets.