At approximately 10:00PM local time 15 July 2016, reports emerged of multiple incidents in Istanbul and Ankara involving military forces that have since been declared a coup d’état.

Signs of unrest began when the two main bridges crossing the Bosphorus were blocked by military forces, leaving the European and Asian sides of the city effectively cut off from each other.

Social media was been blocked in Turkey as of 10:50PM local time:

Access was restored just under two hours following the time at which the blackout was detected.

Confirmed footage showed military helicopters dispatched over Istanbul’s Taksim region.

A series of air-to-ground strikes have struck Turkey’s parliament while in session:

Reliable sources indicate:

  • Unverified claims of F-16 Air Force jets dispatched over Turkey capital Ankara
  • Turkey’s national broadcaster TRT is being taken over by the military forces
  • Multiple sources have stated that Turkish police patrols have been stopped and their sidearms confiscated by military troops in Istanbul
  • Tanks in Bayrampasa and on major roads

By 16 July 2016, the Armed Forces website carrying statements declaring the coup was inaccessible, and the government figures ultimately stated that the incumbent administration had been restored:

 

 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR