Members of the Turkish military said a coup was under way in the country, despite its elected president claiming that the attempt had failed and his government remained in power.
In a statement released through Turkish television channels on Friday night, people claiming to speak for the Turkish military said the army was now in charge of the country, and promised to uphold human rights.
In response, a spokesman for the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the coup had been attempted by only a faction of the army, and that he was still in command of the country.
“Turkey’s democratically elected president and government are in power. We will not tolerate attempts to undermine our democracy.”
He added: “A group within the armed forces has made an attempt to overthrow the democratically elected government outside the chain of command. The statement made on behalf of the armed forces wasn’t authorised by the military command. We urge the world to stand in solidarity with the Turkish people.”
Gunshots were heard in the capital Ankara as military planes flew low overhead. Army vehicles fanned through Istanbul, Turkey’s second city, with tanks seen outside the country’s main airport, and military trucks were filmed blocking the bridges connecting the city’s Asian and European sides. A soldier was filmed telling passersby: “It’s a coup, go home.”
Turkey’s prime minister, Binali Yildirim, echoed his presidency’s words, saying: “Some people illegally undertook an illegal action outside of the chain of command. The government elected by the people remains in charge. This government will only go when the people say so.”
Turkey has a long history of coups, the most recent occurring in 1997, and one of the most brutal in 1980. President Erdogan’s Islamist-leaning government was believed to be in a stronger position than most civilian administrations, shoring up his position during a decade of economic success.
But recent events in Turkey and across Middle East have destabilised the country, with Kurdish rebels fighting a new insurgency in the south-east of the country. The Syrian civil war has also spilled over into Turkey, most notably with Islamic State mounting a series of terror attacks across the country in the past year, killing hundreds.
In an unsuccessful  attempt apparently by elements of the Turkish  in Istanbul and Ankara, 265 people were killed and 1440 were injured, Turkish Prime Minister  reported on Saturday. Following the incident, 2,839 soldiers and officers were detained and, according to another military official, 104 coup plotters were killed. General , held by the rebels, was later freed.
File photo of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 2016.  
On Friday, the rebels declared martial law claiming to have "taken control of the country" and said Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government was responsible for damaging Turkey's secular tradition. They shut down Istanbul Atatürk Airport and blocked the two bridges over the , with gunfire and, by some reports, jets dropping bombs in Istanbul and Ankara. Social-networking websites were blocked in the country and news channel CNN stopped broadcasting. Tank fire and explosions were reported at the parliament.

Prime Minister Yıldırım declared a no-fly zone over Ankara. Erdoğan was in  during the coup attempt. Erdoğan after reaching Instanbul on Saturday, said,  as he announced he would remain president.

General Zekai Aksakalli told , "Those who are attempting a coup will not succeed. Our people should know that we will overcome this". Erdoğan supporters were seen carrying the Turkish flag on the streets of Istanbul.

During Erdoğan's address to citizens, coup supporters were seen surrendering, abandoning military tanks, given citizen opposition to the coup. Eight people fled the country seeking asylum in the Greek city of , according to Greek officials.

Officials claimed , who is currently in the United States on an exile, was responsible for the coup;  reported Gülen condemned the attempt.