FETO terrorists bombed the Police Aviation Department and the Special Operations Department in Golbasi, Ankara, attacked the MIT compound in Yenimahalle and seized state broadcaster TRT, forcing staff to read the coup declaration.
At 12.24 am on July 16, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared live on CNN Turk and called on the public to take to the streets. Thousands responded, confronting coup forces across the country despite repeated attacks.
Staff Sgt. Omer Halisdemir, acting on orders from Special Forces Commander Lt. Gen. Zekai Aksakalli, shot coup Brig. Gen. Semih Terzi as he arrived to seize the Special Forces Command. Halisdemir was immediately killed by accompanying FETO terrorists.
The coup plotters also bombed the Turkish Grand National Assembly twice and attacked TURKSAT facilities, while police regained control of TRT and detained those occupying the broadcaster.
The violence continued into the morning before security forces regained control. Then-Prime Minister Yildirim authorised Lt. Gen. Ziya Kemal Kadioglu to shoot down aircraft controlled by the coup plotters.
Akar was rescued from Akinci Air Base and, on Erdogan’s instructions, the base’s main runway was struck to prevent further take-offs.
At 12.57 pm on July 16, Yildirim announced that the coup attempt had been suppressed. The plot was defeated within about 21 hours through public resistance and the actions of loyal security forces.
Official figures showed that 253 civilians and security personnel were killed. The coup plotters deployed about 9,000 military personnel, 35 aircraft, 37 helicopters, 246 armoured vehicles, including 74 tanks, and nearly 4,000 light weapons.
Gulen’s role and aftermath
According to Turkish authorities, Gulen, who founded the organisation in the 1960s and fled to the US in 1999, directed the July 15 coup attempt and other operations from Pennsylvania.
Despite Türkiye submitting seven extradition requests covering 27 charges, US authorities did not extradite him.
Gulen died on October 20 2024, at St. Luke’s Hospital’s Monroe campus in Pennsylvania. Turkish authorities said the US Department of State officially confirmed his death through a formal document.
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