As the dust settles on the chaos in Turkey, the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has labelled the military coup as treason.
In a public address he said members of the military behind the plot to overthrow him would pay a ‘heavy price’.
"We will stand strong, we will not give in," Erdogan said.
The death toll has climbed with at least 265 people according to Prime Minister Binali Yildirim .
THE ATTEMPTED COUP
Seventeen police officers were killed, a military helicopter was shot down and tanks reportedly opened fire around Turkey's parliament building as a bloody coup unfolded.
The police officers were reportedly slain in an attack on their offices in the Turkish capital of Ankara while a Turkish F-16 fighter fired on a helicopter being used by the military faction trying to seize power.
Witnesses have said tanks are at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, shots have rung out at Ataturk airport in Istanbul and a loud explosion had been heard in the capital.
Turkey Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said a group within the country's military has attempted to overthrow the government and security forces have been called in to "do what is necessary".
"Some people illegally undertook an illegal action outside of the chain of command," Mr Yildirim said in comments broadcast by private channel NTV on Friday, local time.
"The government elected by the people remains in charge. This government will only go when the people say so."
Those behind the attempted coup would pay the highest price, he added.
The Turkish chief of military staff was among those taken hostage in the Turkish capital Ankara, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.
The military said in a statement, sent by email and reported on Turkish TV channels, that the armed forces had taken power in the country to protect the democratic order and to maintain human rights.
All of Turkey's existing foreign relations would be maintained and the rule of law would remain the priority, it said.
One senior Turkish government official said the military faction behind the coup had taken control of some tanks and ordered its forces to try and take over the streets.
Footage on local television channels showed military vehicles blocking bridges over the Bosphorus in Istanbul and tanks deployed at the city's main airport. In the capital Ankara, warplanes and helicopters roared overhead. A Reuters journalist heard gunshots.
A Turkish official who did not want to be named said soldiers had been deployed in other cities in Turkey, but did not specify which ones.
Dogan News Agency reported the national police directorate had summoned all police to duty in Ankara.
If successful, the overthrow of President Tayyip Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey since 2003, would amount to one of the biggest shifts in power in the Middle East in years.
In an extraordinary mobile phone live-cross on television, President Erdogan reportedly said the uprising has come from a "minority" within the military.
Speaking by either Skype or Facetime, on a phone held up by a newsreader, he said the plotters would not succeed. AFP reports he told people to "take to the streets".
Turkey, a NATO member with the second biggest military in the Western alliance, is one of the most important allies of the United States in the fight against Islamic State.
It is a principal backer of opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in that country's civil war, and host to 2 million Syrian refugees.
The Department of Foreign Affairs issued a message to Australian citizens in Turkey, repeating the French and US calls for people to stay indoors.
"There are reports of unauthorised military movements in Ankara and Istanbul and gunfire. Bridges across the Bosphorous in Istanbul are closed. Airport operations have been disrupted, including at Istanbul's Ataturk airport," DFAT said.
"Confirm your flight's status before travelling to the airport so long as it is safe to do so. You should stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel. Avoid any large gatherings or demonstrations. Follow the directions of local authorities.
"We continue to advise Australians to exercise a high degree of caution in Turkey overall and to reconsider their need to travel to Istanbul and Ankara. Higher levels apply in some parts of Turkey."
The commander of Turkey's special forces General Zekai Aksakalli said the armed forces did not support the coup that was being carried out by what the government described as a small military faction.
Reuters
EARLIER REPORTS
10.30AM
Two more explosions have hit near Turkey’s parliament building in Ankara.
10AM
Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in an interview over FaceTime with the CNN Turk station, said:
"I'm making a call out to my people. ... Let us gather in our squares, at our airports as the people and let that minority group come upon as with their tanks and artillery and do whatever they wish to do."
9.45AM
Videos and images of chaos across Turkey have flooded social media. Reports have come through that tanks have opened fire near the Turkish parliament in the capital, Ankara, as the military claims it has 'fully seized control' of the country.
9.30AM
Australians in Turkey have been advised to:
- Stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel
- Avoid any large gatherings or demonstrations
- Follow the directions of local authorities
- Contact your friends and family to let them know you are safe
- Subscribe to the Australian Government’s travel advice for Turkey so that they are notified of any changes to the security environment.
8.30AM
There have been reports of an attempted military coup in Turkey. At this stage the Australian Government has listed the reports as unconfirmed.
Gunfire has been heard on the bridge over the Bosphorus in Istanbul as a curfew was been declared across Turkey and airports were shutdown,
JESSICA BROWN
