An attempted coup is unfolding in Turkey with a group in the military claiming it has seized power and installed a ‘peace council’.
Some 17 police officers have been killed in a helicopter attack on a police headquarters in Ankara, AP has
said, while unconfirmed reports say a military helicopter has been shot down by a jet.
State broadcaster TRT, which has now gone off air, is reported to have been stormed by a military faction and has read a statement saying that the country is under control of a ‘peace council’.
However, Turkey’s prime minister Binali Yildirim has said the government would never allow any such ‘initiative that would interrupt democracy’ to take place.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who is said to be ‘safe’ but ‘hiding in a hotel room’, appeared on Turkish television station NTV via facetime, but has otherwise not been heard from.
He said an uprising attempt had been made from a minority in the military saying it was an act encouraged by a ‘parallel structure’.
Earlier in the evening, gun shots and low flying military aircraft were reported in the Turkish capital of Ankara.
According to NTV, a military helicopter has been shot down by a fighter jet, while the head of Turkish special forces has called the coup ‘treason’.
Numerous videos on Twitter appear to show gunfire from helicopters in Ankara, although it is not clear who the intended target is and which side it is supporting.
Footage has also emerged allegedly showing a tank heading towards the prime minister’s palace being slowed by protesters.
Reports also say a loud explosion has been heard in the capital Ankara.
According to reports both of the main bridges in Istanbul have been closed to security forces and tanks are blocking the entrance to the airport, from which all flights are cancelled.
The military group tried to install a curfew but pictures seem to show thousands of people taking to the streets in Istanbul and Ankara in apparent protest against the coup.
Gunfire has been heard in both Istanbul and Ankara with videos seeming to government-loyal police exchanging fire with the military.
British citizens have been advised to avoid public places by the Foreign Office which says it is aware of the situation.
Newly appointed foreign secretary Boris Johnson has since said he was ‘very concerned’ by the unfolding events.
Supporters of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, protest in front of soldiers in Istanbul’s Taksim square (Picture: AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Turkey Blocks has reported that Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have been blocked in the country suggesting the military group has control over communications.
Gabriel Turner, 23, a Briton on holiday in Istanbul, has described to the Telegraph how the army is ‘taking over everything’.
Turkish military block access to the Bosphorus bridge (Picture: REUTERS/Stringer)
Earlier in the night, a statement attributed to a military group said it took the action to ‘reinstall the constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms’.
Meanwhile, reports are suggesting that Turkey’s currency has plummeted at the news with pictures on Twitter showing people queuing up at cash machines to withdraw money.
