COUP IN TURKEY: Turkish Army Chiefs Claim To Have “Completely Taken Over The Administration Of The Country”

TURKISH army chiefs claim to have “completely taken over the administration of the country” in an apparent military coup.

Hostages, including the chief of military staff, have reportedly been taken at military headquarters while there have also been reports of gunfire around the Secret Service building.

But the country’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed the coup, saying it was the work of a minority within the military and urging people to go out into the streets despite the military’s declaration of a curfew. 

The midnight coup has seen reports of gunfire on the street with the state TV station also stormed by the military.
 
It is understood the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is safe and appeared on Facetime on a local station denouncing the coup.

Those who are doing this will be punished in the hardest way.

It comes after the Turkish military released a statement, saying: “Turkish Armed Forces have completely taken over the administration of the country to reinstate constitutional order, human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and general security that was damaged.

“All international agreements are still valid. We hope that all of our good relationships with all countries will continue.”

In a further statement read out on the state-run broadcaster TRT, the military said it had declared martial law and imposed a curfew.

The statement said the country would now be run by a "peace council" with a new constitution to be prepared as soon as possible.

The Turkish state broadcaster TRT is now off air, according to reports out of Turkey.

People have been seen queuing for cash as the drama unfolds. 

The Sun UK reports