Turkey Coup Attempt Foiled, PM Says

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the situation in Turkey is under control afrer an attempt to stage a coup d'etat by a military group.

In a televised address, he has said those who committed the attempt will pay a heavy price.

In his words, the Prime Minister has given orders to "eradicate" those shooting from the air.

Erdogan has made clear the development is a result of the actions of a "minority" within the military, blaming some of its ranks of being instructed from Fethullah Gulen and accusing him of running a parallel structure. Gulen, however, denies involvement, condemning the attempted coup "in the strongest terms".

The President arrived in Istanbul from the seaside resort of Marmaris, where he had been on holiday at the time of the coup. At Istanbul's largest airport, he has met by a crowd of supporters.

Earlier, speaking outside Istanbul's main airport, PM Binali Yildirim told Turkey's NTV on Saturday that the authorities had managed to control the situation.

But explosions could still be heard in central Istanbul, local media report. The military group read out another TV statement saying a "peace council" now ran the country. Turkish officials, on the other hand, claim a "very small faction" of the military had orchestrated the attempt. 

There is no certainty if there are any casualties, with CNN Turk reporting a number of people were killed in a blast in front of Parliament but officials denying.

A protest was held against the coup as Yildirim called on people to take to the streets

A martial law, a curfew, and a no-fly zone were declared over the capital Ankara, with Yildirim saying any plane that flew over the country would be shot down.

Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry reports that all border crossings with Turkey have been closed on the Turkish side and patrols have been stepped up at the Bulgairan side, at Kapitan Andreevo, Lesovo, and Malko Tarnovo checkpoints.

It advises all people intenting to travel to Turkey to reconsider their plans.

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