16 July 2016•Update: 17 July 2016
ISTANBUL
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that he will not leave Ataturk Airport in Istanbul until the situation in the country returns to normal.
“Turkish Airlines began its operations. There is a small distress in Ankara,” Erdogan told a large crowd gathered at the airport.
“There is no leaving here until this situation goes back to normal. I will not leave, either,” he said.
Erdogan slammed U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen, who is accused of leading a terrorist organization and attempting to infiltrate and overthrow the democratically-elected government in Turkey.
“It is enough the betrayal you have done to this nation,” Erdogan said, though not mentioning Gulen’s name, and called him to return to his country, where he would face trial.
At least 42 people have been killed during the parallel state's military coup attempt in Ankara's Golbasi district, authorities said Saturday.
The district’s prosecutor office opened a detailed investigation with the special operations department, aviation department of security general directorate, police academy and satellite agency Turksat's campus into the coup attempt.
The office stated that the attempted overthrow has been repelled and that the situation is now under control.
Meanwhile, 20 other parallel state members who attempted to occupy state TV channel TRT have been detained by Turkish security forces.
