Turkish army takes to the streets of Istanbul and announces it has seized power.
The Turkish army announced on Friday, May 15th, that it had seized power in Turkey; soldiers took to the streets in various parts of Istanbul; Prime Minister Binali Yildirim denounced the attempted coup and called it an illegal act; "Power in the country has been seized in its entirety," stated a military communiqué read on the NTV channel.
ISTANBUL (Reuters) Türkiye's armed forces said on Friday that they had seized power in the country to protect democratic order and uphold human rights.
In a statement sent by email and broadcast on Turkish television channels, the military stated that all of Turkey's existing foreign relations will be maintained and that the rule of law will remain a priority.
The Turkish prime minister had previously said that a group within the army had attempted to seize power, but that it had been repelled and that it would be wrong to call it a coup.
(Reporting by Nick Tattersall)