2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt

On the night of 15 July 2016 a faction of the Turkish Armed Forces tried to seize power, deploying troops and aircraft in Istanbul and Ankara, closing the Bosphorus bridges and bombing parts of the parliament building. The plotters styled themselves the Peace at Home Council, but forces loyal to the government and crowds called into the streets by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan defeated the attempt within hours. About 250 people were killed, most of them civilians and security personnel. The government blamed followers of the preacher Fethullah Gülen, who denies any role, and responded with a state of emergency and the dismissal or arrest of tens of thousands of people in the army, judiciary, schools and civil service. The episode also strengthened the push toward the presidential system approved by referendum in 2017.

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