Turkey Coup Attempt: ‘We Dedicate This Day to Democracy,’ Says PM

Military opens fire on crowds in Ankara, India issues emergency contact details.

• A group within Turkey’s military attempted to overthrow the government, accusing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of undermining Turkey’s secular tradition.
  
• Armed forces claimed to have taken power in the country, but the Turkish government called the coup a failed attempt.
  
• Turkish PM said 161 people have died in the coup.
  
• According to the Turkish Red Cross, 1,154 people were injured. First Army Commander Umit Dundar was appointed as the acting Chief of Military Staff.
  
• Mass surrenders in Istanbul: 50 soldiers surrender on Bosphorous Bridge. 1563 members of the armed forces arrested, among them are 29 colonels and five generals.
  
• Turkish military helicopter lands in Greece, eight men request political asylum.
  
• Chief of Army, Hulusi Akar, who was taken hostage, has been rescued.
  
• US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen denies involvement in the coup. President Erdogan demands his extradition from US.
  

Erdogan Demands Gulen’s Extradition

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demands the US extradite the Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who he blames for the attempted coup.

Earlier, US Secretary of State John Kerry had said he had received no requests to extradite Gulen, who has been living in the US for several years.

Mastermind of Coup Identified

A Turkish senior official says that Akin Ozturk, a former air force commander, is one of the “masterminds of the coup.” He says initial evidence suggests ties between the failed coup’s masterminds, including Ozturk and the Gulenist Movement.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules.

He said the masterminds’ immediate goal was to seize control of key areas including Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge and Taksim Square. They also sought to take down satellite infrastructure and seize telecommunications hubs.

First Parliament Session Since the Revolt

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says 15 July will be remembered as “a festival for democracy,” the day when those who carried out a coup against the people were hit by a coup themselves.

Speaking to parliament in their first session since the revolt Friday, Yildirim says

These are not soldiers, they are ravenous terrorist butchers in uniforms.

He warned that anyone who tried to harm the will of the people will be “reminded of those coup plotters, whose lives have been snuffed out.”

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey’s main opposition party, used his speech to call for greater democracy in Turkey, and said the coup attempt had also shown the importance of freedom of speech.

Kilicdargolu said:

This event has united us on a common ground, and that common ground is our dedication to the republic and democracy. But democracy isn’t just the law of the rulers, but the rule of law.

Protests Outside the Parliament

Hundreds of people waving Turkish flags have gathered outside of the parliament in Ankara to protest the coup attempt as legislators prepare to hold an emergency session.

In an unprecedented show of unity, all four parties represented in parliament are expected to issue a joint declaration on Saturday, condemning the attempted coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government.

The extraordinary session began with a minute of silence in honor of those who lost their lives during the coup, followed by the singing of the national anthem. Officials say 161 civilians or pro-government security forces were killed during the coup, along with an undetermined number of coup plotters.