Turkish president Erdogan vows ‘coup plotters’ will not succeed

 

Turkish internal security officers pass a Turkish soldier on July 15, 2016 in Istanbul, during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge. Turkish security forces on July 15 partially shut down the two bridges across the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul as military jets were heard flying low over Ankara, reports and AFP correspondents said. The Bosphorus and Fatih bridges were closed by the gendarmerie -- a branch of the Turkish military dedicated to internal security -- for traffic travelling from Asia to Europe, NTV television said. Traffic was still moving in the other direction. Meanwhile, Turkish military aircraft were heard flying low over Ankara, AFP correspondents in the capital reported. There was no immediate explanation for the cause of the incidents. / AFP PHOTO / BULENT KILIC 

Ankara, Turkey – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday vowed that “coup plotters” would not succeed, calling on people to take to streets in his support after a military group announced a power grab.

“I certainly believe that coup plotters will not succeed,” Erdogan told CNN Turk television, speaking on FaceTime via mobile phone in his first reaction to the move by the Turkish armed forces.

“I urge the Turkish people to convene at public squares and airports. I never believed in a power higher than the power of the people.”

Erdogan said he was still president and Turkey’s commander in chief, promising that plotters would pay a “very heavy price.” A presidential source said Erdogan was in a secure location as per government protocol.