(Newswire.net — July 16, 2016) —The situation in Turkey is under control after last night’s attempted military coup, during which 161 people were killed, explained the Turkish Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, to the Turkish media on Saturday morning, .
He told reporters in Ankara that 1,440 people were injured and 2,839 soldiers were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the coup attempt.
Nearly 700 soldiers and officers took their weapons and came out from the military headquarters and surrendered to police.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim added that the attempted military coup is a black spot on democracy in Turkey and he blames the “parallel structure” behind the coup attempt
According to the Associated Press, Turkish authorities use this term for the followers of Muhammed Fethullah Gülen, a Muslim cleric, who lives in the US. Ankara officials have accused Gülen of planning a coup in the past.
The president of a group that promotes Gulen’s ideas, the New York-based Alliance for Shared Values, denied the charges. Y. Alp Aslandogan told the Associated Press “we categorically deny such accusations and find them to be highly irresponsible.” Earlier in the evening, the alliance said, “we condemn any military intervention in (the) domestic politics of Turkey.”
Yildirim said that the organizers of the coup will get the punishment they deserve, and are now in the hands of the judicial system. He also added that the death penalty is prohibited by the Constitution, but the Turkish authorities will consider some changes to the law in order to be sure that a coup could not be attempted again.
During the Prime Minister’s speech to the media, Turkish Chief of General Staff, Hulusi Akar, stood behind him . Putschists held him as a hostage on Friday night at an airbase near Ankara.
The Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office has initiated the procedure for high treason for Air Force Commander General Akın Öztürk, and for General Metin İyidil, commander of the Department of Support and Training of the Armed Forces. They will face court on charges of high treason, leading the coup and planning its implementation.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that the attempt on behalf of the army is considered treason, and all responsible will pay a high price.
The President wrote on his Twitter account, inviting citizens to stay in the streets, adding that it’s important to keep control of the streets as he warned of the possibility of new attempts
He also explained that one million people took to the streets to protest against the coup.
Erdoğan, who had been out the country on holiday when the coup was launched, flew into Istanbul, arriving early Saturday morning.