Turkey coup: President Erdogan says military elements
guilty of 'treason', as he tells nation government is in charge, after violent
clashes in Ankara and Istanbul leave '161 dead'
Turkish forces sought to crack down on the last remnants of
an attempted military coup on Saturday afternoon, as it
crumbled after crowds answered President Tayyip Erdogan's call to take to
the streets to support him.
Mr.
Erdogan, who had been holidaying on the coast when the coup was launched, flew
into Istanbul before dawn on Saturday and was shown on TV appearing among a
crowd of supporters outside Ataturk Airport, which the coup plotters had failed
to secure.
One
hundred and sixty-one people were killed, including many civilians, after a
faction of the armed forces tried to seize power using tanks and attack
helicopters.
Some
strafed the headquarters of Turkish intelligence and parliament in the capital,
Ankara, and others seized a major bridge in Istanbul.
Mr. Erdogan accused the coup plotters of trying to kill him and
launched a purge of the armed forces, which last used force to stage a
successful coup more than 30 years ago.
"They
will pay a heavy price for this," said Mr. Erdogan, who also saw off mass
public protests against his rule three years ago. "This uprising is a gift
from God to us because this will be a reason to cleanse our army."
In
the first signs of a crackdown, on Saturday morning the government announced
2,700 judges were suspended from duty.
Mr.
Yildirim told public television that while the death penalty is not permitted
under the Turkish constitution, they will consider legal changes "to make
sure this does not happen again."
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