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| Turkey Detains Thousands in Military in Bid to Regain Control | |
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| ISTANBUL — Turkey’s government rounded up thousands of military personnel on Saturday said to have taken part in an attempted coup, moving swiftly to re-establish control after a night of chaos and intrigue that left hundreds dead. | ISTANBUL — Turkey’s government rounded up thousands of military personnel on Saturday said to have taken part in an attempted coup, moving swiftly to re-establish control after a night of chaos and intrigue that left hundreds dead. |
| By noon, there were few signs that those who had taken part in the coup attempt were still able to challenge the government, and many declared the uprising a failure. | By noon, there were few signs that those who had taken part in the coup attempt were still able to challenge the government, and many declared the uprising a failure. |
| Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called the insurrection “a stain in the history of democracy” at a news conference on Saturday in Ankara, the capital. He raised the death toll in the clashes to 265, with 1,440 people wounded, and he said that 2,839 military personnel had been detained. | Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called the insurrection “a stain in the history of democracy” at a news conference on Saturday in Ankara, the capital. He raised the death toll in the clashes to 265, with 1,440 people wounded, and he said that 2,839 military personnel had been detained. |
| As the insurrection unfolded Friday night, beginning with the seizure of two bridges in Istanbul by military forces, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was not heard from for hours. He finally addressed the nation from an undisclosed location, speaking on his cellphone’s FaceTime app — a dramatic scene that seemed to suggest a man on the grip of losing power. But in the early hours of Saturday morning, he landed in Istanbul, a strong sign that the coup was failing. | As the insurrection unfolded Friday night, beginning with the seizure of two bridges in Istanbul by military forces, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was not heard from for hours. He finally addressed the nation from an undisclosed location, speaking on his cellphone’s FaceTime app — a dramatic scene that seemed to suggest a man on the grip of losing power. But in the early hours of Saturday morning, he landed in Istanbul, a strong sign that the coup was failing. |
| Mr. Erdogan placed blame for the intrigue on the followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric living in exile in Pennsylvania, who was the president’s ally until a bitter falling out three years ago. Mr. Gulen’s followers were known to have a strong presence in Turkey’s police and judiciary, but less so in the military. | Mr. Erdogan placed blame for the intrigue on the followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric living in exile in Pennsylvania, who was the president’s ally until a bitter falling out three years ago. Mr. Gulen’s followers were known to have a strong presence in Turkey’s police and judiciary, but less so in the military. |
| Speaking Saturday morning, Mr. Erdogan said, referring to Mr. Gulen: “I have a message for Pennsylvania: You have engaged in enough treason against this nation. If you dare, come back to your country.” | Speaking Saturday morning, Mr. Erdogan said, referring to Mr. Gulen: “I have a message for Pennsylvania: You have engaged in enough treason against this nation. If you dare, come back to your country.” |
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| In a statement released on the website of his group, Alliance for Shared Values, Mr. Gulen condemned the coup and supported the country’s democratic process. | |
| “As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any link to such an attempt,” Mr. Gulen wrote. “I categorically deny such accusations. | |
| Mr. Erdogan also said that Turkish fighter jets had bombed tanks on the streets of Ankara, and that a military helicopter being used by the coup plotters had been shot down. | Mr. Erdogan also said that Turkish fighter jets had bombed tanks on the streets of Ankara, and that a military helicopter being used by the coup plotters had been shot down. |
| There was also a battle early Saturday morning at Turkey’s main intelligence headquarters in Ankara, which was later secured by government forces, and a Turkish official said the intelligence chief, Hakan Fidan, had been taken to a secure location. | There was also a battle early Saturday morning at Turkey’s main intelligence headquarters in Ankara, which was later secured by government forces, and a Turkish official said the intelligence chief, Hakan Fidan, had been taken to a secure location. |
| In a news conference on Saturday, Turkey’s top military officer, Gen. Umit Dundar, the acting head of the General Staff, said that “the coup attempt was rejected by the chain of command immediately.” | In a news conference on Saturday, Turkey’s top military officer, Gen. Umit Dundar, the acting head of the General Staff, said that “the coup attempt was rejected by the chain of command immediately.” |
| “The people have taken to the streets and voiced their support for democracy,” he said, adding that “the nation will never forget this betrayal.” | “The people have taken to the streets and voiced their support for democracy,” he said, adding that “the nation will never forget this betrayal.” |
| As Turkey began waking up after a long and in many ways surreal evening, it appeared that the elected government had re-established control. But many questions remained unanswered, including who exactly was behind the plot and what the longer-term fallout would be to the political system of Turkey, a NATO ally and important partner to the United States in the fight against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. | |
| Turkish authorities on Saturday at least temporarily halted American-led strike missions against the Islamic State that are flying from the Incirlik air base, the first major impact of the coup on the broader allied campaign against the terrorist group. | |
| “At this time, Turkish authorities are not permitting aircraft to depart Incirlik,” an American military official said on Saturday morning. | |
| The American official said the United States was seeking an explanation for the decision and other details. The move may reflect a desire by Turkey to control its airspace for a time today, as opposed to any shift on its policy toward ISIS. | |
| Pentagon officials had said late Friday that the unfolding coup had not affected the bombing and surveillance missions from Incirlik, the opening of which to the allies has enabled commanders to accelerate and intensify airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria. | |
| Much of the violence overnight related to the coup attempt was in Ankara, where different branches of the security forces fought one another over control of government buildings, including the Parliament building, where several explosions were reported. | |
| The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that 1,563 soldiers had been arrested. Television footage showed some soldiers, naked from the waist up, being put on a bus in Istanbul. | The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that 1,563 soldiers had been arrested. Television footage showed some soldiers, naked from the waist up, being put on a bus in Istanbul. |
| Early Saturday morning, soldiers surrendered on a bridge that traverses the Bosporus, one of two that the military shut down as the coup attempt began Friday evening. Footage showed abandoned military clothing and helmets along the bridge. The government also moved on a military school in Istanbul, arresting dozens. | Early Saturday morning, soldiers surrendered on a bridge that traverses the Bosporus, one of two that the military shut down as the coup attempt began Friday evening. Footage showed abandoned military clothing and helmets along the bridge. The government also moved on a military school in Istanbul, arresting dozens. |
| Disciplinary actions extended into the judicial system on Saturday as an oversight body, the High Council of Judges and Prosectors, announced that 2,745 judges had been dismissed, the Anadolu agency reported. | |
| Turkey has a long history of military involvement in politics — there have been three coups since 1960 — and as the country became deeply polarized in recent years between supporters of Mr. Erdogan’s Islamist government and those loyal to Turkey’s secular traditions, many wondered if the military would intervene. Some, quietly, had even hoped they would. | Turkey has a long history of military involvement in politics — there have been three coups since 1960 — and as the country became deeply polarized in recent years between supporters of Mr. Erdogan’s Islamist government and those loyal to Turkey’s secular traditions, many wondered if the military would intervene. Some, quietly, had even hoped they would. |
| But once it came, people in the country, even those bitterly opposed to Mr. Erdogan, seemed to have no desire for a return to military rule. Turks across the political spectrum, including the main opposition parties that represent secular Turks, nationalists and Kurds, opposed the coup. So did many top generals in the armed forces, highlighting that the attempt appeared not to have had deep support, even in the military. | But once it came, people in the country, even those bitterly opposed to Mr. Erdogan, seemed to have no desire for a return to military rule. Turks across the political spectrum, including the main opposition parties that represent secular Turks, nationalists and Kurds, opposed the coup. So did many top generals in the armed forces, highlighting that the attempt appeared not to have had deep support, even in the military. |
| Speaking from Luxembourg during a European tour, Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated the United States’s support for the Erdogan government. “We stand by the government of Turkey,” he said. | |
| Mr. Kerry said it was not surprising that the United States and Turkey’s other NATO allies were not aware of the coup before it occurred. | |
| “If you’re planning a coup, you don’t exactly advertise it to your partners in NATO,” Mr. Kerry said. “It surprised everybody, including the people in Turkey. I must say it does not appear to be a very brilliantly planned or executed event.” | |
| Mr. Kerry also said that he would listen to any inquiries Turkey might have about Mr. Gulen but that he had not received any requests to extradite him to Turkey. | |
| “We fully anticipate that there will be questions raised about Mr. Gulen,” he said. “And obviously, we invite the government of Turkey, as we always do, to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny, and the United States will accept that and look at it and make judgments about it appropriately.” | |
| Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, and its foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, expressed concern about the developments in Turkey and called on a return to the rule of law, under the country’s democratically elected government. | |
| Ms Merkel said that political change should take place only through democratic procedures. “Tanks on the streets and attacks from the air against their own people are against the law,” she said. | |
| Tensions between Germany and Turkey have run high in recent months. Mr. Erdogan was angered by a German comedian’s crude lampooning of him and by Parliament’s adoption last month of a resolution calling the 1915 mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks genocide. |