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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Tumult in Turkey: What We Know and What We Don’t Know | Tumult in Turkey: What We Know and What We Don’t Know |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Military forces in Turkey attempted a coup Friday night. Initial reports differed widely on what had happened and who was in control of the country. | Military forces in Turkey attempted a coup Friday night. Initial reports differed widely on what had happened and who was in control of the country. |
| • The Turkish armed forces issued a statement saying that it had seized full control of the country “to reinstate constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms.” | • The Turkish armed forces issued a statement saying that it had seized full control of the country “to reinstate constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms.” |
| • Another statement read on state television said martial law had been imposed and a curfew declared. | • Another statement read on state television said martial law had been imposed and a curfew declared. |
| • The prime minister, Binali Yildirim, initially said on Turkish television that a group within the military had tried to seize power but had failed; he gave few details. | • The prime minister, Binali Yildirim, initially said on Turkish television that a group within the military had tried to seize power but had failed; he gave few details. |
| • Later, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking on an internet video feed, called on the public to resist the coup attempt by going to public places. | • Later, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking on an internet video feed, called on the public to resist the coup attempt by going to public places. |
| • Troops blocked two major bridges over the Bosporus, the strait that divides Istanbul, and military aircraft were seen flying over Istanbul and Ankara, the capital. Troops appeared at the main Istanbul airport, and flights were halted. | • Troops blocked two major bridges over the Bosporus, the strait that divides Istanbul, and military aircraft were seen flying over Istanbul and Ankara, the capital. Troops appeared at the main Istanbul airport, and flights were halted. |
| • Sounds of gunfire were reported in Ankara in the area of the military headquarters. The state-run Anadolu News Agency said hostages had been taken at the headquarters, including the chief of staff. | • Sounds of gunfire were reported in Ankara in the area of the military headquarters. The state-run Anadolu News Agency said hostages had been taken at the headquarters, including the chief of staff. |
| • It was not clear to what extent the coup forces had managed to gain control of key state facilities and institutions. | • It was not clear to what extent the coup forces had managed to gain control of key state facilities and institutions. |
| • It was not clear who was behind the coup attempt, how much of the Turkish military supported it, or why it had been mounted now. | • It was not clear who was behind the coup attempt, how much of the Turkish military supported it, or why it had been mounted now. |
| • It was not clear whether there had been fighting or casualties. | • It was not clear whether there had been fighting or casualties. |
| • The whereabouts of President Erdogan, long the dominant political figure in Turkey, were not immediately known, nor how much of the country’s security forces remained loyal to him. | • The whereabouts of President Erdogan, long the dominant political figure in Turkey, were not immediately known, nor how much of the country’s security forces remained loyal to him. |
| • The Turkish Armed Forces | • The Turkish Armed Forces |
| Turkey’s military is a trusted institution, seen as the guardian of the secularist principles on which modern Turkey was founded. It has intervened in national politics a number of times, including three previous coups since 1960, and as recently as 1997 it maneuvered to oust an Islamist prime minister. | |
| Historically the military has opposed interventions abroad, but it is not known how senior officers, many of them appointed by Mr. Erdogan, feel about his recent interventions in Syria. | |
| • President Erdogan | • President Erdogan |
| An Islamist and populist who has been the dominant figure in the country for more than a decade, Mr. Erdogan came to power promising to reform the economy and give the country’s rural, more religious majority a bigger voice in the capital. More recently, he has grown increasingly autocratic and alienated many Turks as he cracked down on protests, took control of the media and renewed war with Kurdish militants in the country’s southeast. | An Islamist and populist who has been the dominant figure in the country for more than a decade, Mr. Erdogan came to power promising to reform the economy and give the country’s rural, more religious majority a bigger voice in the capital. More recently, he has grown increasingly autocratic and alienated many Turks as he cracked down on protests, took control of the media and renewed war with Kurdish militants in the country’s southeast. |
| • Fethullah Gulen | • Fethullah Gulen |
| Mr. Gulen is a former imam and one-time ally of Mr. Erdogan who now lives in self-imposed exile in the United States, with an extensive following in Turkey. He has promoted a more liberal stream of Islam, and his ideas are popular with the country’s police and intelligence establishments, though not necessarily the military. Mr. Erdogan accused Mr. Gulen and his supporters, whom he has called terrorists, of being responsible for the coup; he has repeatedly accused Mr. Gulen of plotting against him in the past. | Mr. Gulen is a former imam and one-time ally of Mr. Erdogan who now lives in self-imposed exile in the United States, with an extensive following in Turkey. He has promoted a more liberal stream of Islam, and his ideas are popular with the country’s police and intelligence establishments, though not necessarily the military. Mr. Erdogan accused Mr. Gulen and his supporters, whom he has called terrorists, of being responsible for the coup; he has repeatedly accused Mr. Gulen of plotting against him in the past. |
| • Republican People’s Party | • Republican People’s Party |
| The leftist main opposition party is considered less pro-American than the governing Justice and Development Party. It has been trying to find a way to break Mr. Erdogan’s political grip, but it would not be likely to benefit from a coup; in the past, the military has tended to sideline leaders of all political parties when it took power. | The leftist main opposition party is considered less pro-American than the governing Justice and Development Party. It has been trying to find a way to break Mr. Erdogan’s political grip, but it would not be likely to benefit from a coup; in the past, the military has tended to sideline leaders of all political parties when it took power. |
| • NATO and the United States | • NATO and the United States |
| Turkey has been an American ally and a NATO member since 1952. Though the Obama administration has criticized Mr. Erdogan’s crackdown on civil society in Turkey, the United States sees him as a stabilizing and mainly pro-Western leader in a volatile region. The American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq makes heavy use of Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. | Turkey has been an American ally and a NATO member since 1952. Though the Obama administration has criticized Mr. Erdogan’s crackdown on civil society in Turkey, the United States sees him as a stabilizing and mainly pro-Western leader in a volatile region. The American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq makes heavy use of Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. |