Turkey President Erdogan Declares Coup Attempt Over
The Turkish president said the coup plotters were guilty of treason and would be treated the same way as terrorists.
The president of Turkey, Recep Erdogan, returned to Ankara from the seaside province of Marmaris to declare the coup launched against him by a "portion of the military" had failed. The hotel he was staying at was also reportedly bombed after he left, according to CNN.
Erdogan addressed Turkey during an interview on CNN Turk conducted via Facetime. "Those who are responsible, we will give them the necessary punishment," Erdogan said, calling on his supporters to demonstrate in the streets. Erdogan also reportedly appeared at a rally in Ankara.
Erdogan has accused the imam Fethullah Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, and his followersm of orchestrating the coup attempt. Gullen has a loose network of charitable organizations, professional associations and other ventures, including 150 charter schools in the U.S, as the Associated Press reported in February.
The Turkish president said the coup plotters were guilty of treason and would be treated the same way as terrorists. More than 40 people have reportedly died in clashes in Ankara. Gulen is already on Turkey's most wanted list for terrorism, although the U.S. has declined to extradite him and has not previously commented on his status. President Obama called for "restraint" in Turkey and support for the "democratically-elected government."
Opposition parties in the Turkish parliament have all officially condemned the attempted coup.
