The WorldPostTurkeyturkey coupistanbul

Photos From Turkey’s Streets Show Chaos After Attempted Coup

People are going up against tanks.
By 

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

and

Senior Photo Editor, HuffPost

BULENT KILIC via Getty Images

Turks across the country took to the streets Friday night, answering pleas to confront the Turkish military as it attempted to take power in a coup.

“I urge the Turkish people to convene at public squares and airports,” a flustered President Recep Tayyip Erdogan implored during a live broadcast via FaceTime on CNN Turk, after the military declared in a televised statement that it had seized control of the nation. “There is no power higher than the power of the people.”

The military’s short-lived claim to power ― based on concerns over autocratic rule and terrorism ― has sparked nationwide panic and chaos.

“Some people illegally undertook an illegal action outside of the chain of command,” Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said in response. “The government elected by the people remains in charge. This government will only go when the people say so.”

A presidential source denounced the military’s attempted takeover as an “attack against Turkish democracy.”

Tanks rolled through crowded streets in Istanbul and Ankara, and military aircraft buzzed overhead. Armed forces blocked off Istanbul’s two main bridges across the Bosphorus strait.

Take a look at these startling images from the country below:

OZAN KOSE via Getty Images
Women embrace after people took over military position on the Bosphorus bridge.
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
People run away on the Bosphorus bridge during clashes.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A group of soldiers are being neutralized after trying to storm into Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) in Ankara.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A group of soldiers are being neutralized after trying to storm into Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) in Ankara.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A group of soldiers are being neutralized after trying to storm into Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) in Ankara.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A group of soldiers are being captured after trying to storm into Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) in Ankara.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
People apprehend a Turkish soldier, center in blue, that participated in the attempted coup.
Erhan Ortac via Getty Images
People run to escape from the clashes in Ankara.
Getty Images
People gather in Sivas in reaction to the military coup.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
People climb aboard an armored vehicle in Mersin.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
People gather against the military coup attempt in front of the Turkish Prime Minister's manor in the Tuzla district of Istanbul.
Getty Images
People stand in the way of a tank in the streets of Ankara, Turkey, on Friday night. Turkey's armed forces said it "fully seized control" of the country Friday, and the president responded by calling on Turks to take to the streets in a show of support for the government.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tanks move into position as Turkish people attempt to stop them in Ankara.
Murad Sezer / Reuters
Gunshots disperse Erdogan supporters in Istanbul.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
People react against the military coup attempt in Istanbul.
ADEM ALTAN via Getty Images
People hold Turkish flags in front of a military vehicle.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
People gather against the military coup in Kahramanmaras.
Chris McGrath via Getty Images
People take to the street in support of President Erdogan in Antalya.
Defne Karadeniz via Getty Images
The Turkish army moves into the main streets in Istanbul.
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
A man approaches Turkish military with his hands up at the entrance to the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul.
Defne Karadeniz via Getty Images
Erdogan supporters chant slogans in Istanbul.
BULENT KILIC via Getty Images
People carry a man shot during clashes with Turkish military at the entrance to the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A man tries to stop a tank in Ankara, Turkey.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Erdogan supporters protest in front of soldiers in Istanbul's Taksim square.
GURCAN OZTURK via Getty Images
The Turkish military partially shut down the Bosporous bridge. Turkish military forces opened fire on crowds gathered in Istanbul following the coup attempt, killing people, an AFP photographer said. The soldiers opened fire on grounds around the bridge across the Bosphorus dividing Europe and Asia, said the photographer, who saw wounded people being taken to ambulances.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
People gather in Ankara in reaction to the attempted coup.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
People gather in Aksaray, Turkey.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
People gather in Aksaray.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
People hold the Turkish flag in Bursa, Turkey.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
People react to the coup in Bursa.
@Şükrü Karabacak
Powerful photos show Turks praying the morning prayer.
@MohamedHemish
Throughout the night, dozens of military officers involved in the coup were arrested in Istanbul. The AP reports that many in the crowds also issued citizen arrests.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Civilians arrest a Turkish soldier and hand him over to police in Taksim Square.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Turkish army officer (left), who was arrested after trying to overthrow President Erdogan, faces off with a police officer.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
urkish people and police officers are seen over the tank.

Related

Turkeyturkey coupistanbul tayyip erdoganAnkara
|
Submit a tip

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot