678 soldiers and ten officers, led by a colonel, were arrested at Ataturk International Airport. Under interrogation, many soldiers stated that they had no idea they were taking part in a coup, rather that they were taking part in a military exercise.
Nevertheless, the authoritarian President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is using the failed coup as a means to gain even more autocratic power. There are rumors that he will use this failed coup to appoint himself President for life.
The text issued by those organizing the coup read as follows:
“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.”
The result will be a purge of all elements not strictly allied to Erdogan, and that means that Erdogan’s plan to make Turkey more Islamist will proceed.
