A total of 300 putschist soldiers who had overcome the police team in charge of controlling the entrances and exits of the TRT's Oran Campus in Ankara occupied the TRT building. After stopping TRT’s broadcasts on television and internet, Lieutenant Colonel Ümit Gençer took off his camouflage and put on his ceremonial clothes to read out the coup declaration which had been prepared by ‘The Peace at Home Council’ on TRT screens.
Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım also wanted to connect to TRT’s live broadcast at the same time. However, due to the fact that the TRT was occupied by the coup plotters, Prime Minister Yıldırım could not connect to TRT, but to NTV. Speaking on NTV’s live broadcast, Prime Minister Yıldırım said the events were an ‘insurgency.’
Another important place that putschist soldiers planned to capture in Istanbul was the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. At 11.00 p.m., putschist soldiers came in front of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and started to deploy around the building. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Civil Defense Secretary Mehmet Tunç, who met the coup plotters at the door, had meal prepared for them.
Tanks coming from the 66th Armored Mechanized Infantry Brigade Command, which had aimed to occupy the Istanbul Police Headquarters that is within walking distance of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, were hindered by security forces and roadblocks that people created with earth-moving trucks. At the same time, 69 putschist soldiers from the 47th Motorized Infantry Regiment Command, with nine of them being high-ranking, came in front of the Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) Istanbul Provincial Presidency in an attempt to seize the AK Party building.
Putschist soldiers started simultaneously occupying the places that they considered to be important in Istanbul. They entered the Istanbul Governorate at 11.11 p.m., and Taksim Square at 11.20 p.m. While they occupied the Borsa Istanbul Stock Exchange building at 11.44 p.m., a group of putschist soldiers who simultaneously took action entered the TRT’s Istanbul Radio building in Harbiye. They also seized the flight control tower at the Atatürk Airport at 11.55 p.m.
'Hainlerin kurşunu hiç acıtmadı'
İnsanlar ateşin üstüne yürüdü
Harita: 15 Temmuz Gecesi Kritik İller - İstanbul
Internal support for coup soldiers
A raid against the Istanbul Governorate
Atatürk Airport’s air traffic control tower raid
- The testimonies of Lieutenant Colonel Recep Karaçam, the commander of putschist soldiers, revealed that he had not known the route of the Istanbul Governorate and used navigation to find it.
- Soldiers who came to the Istanbul Governorate were astonished when they heard of the coup attempt on television. Their astonishment was shot by a workplace’s surveillance camera.
- Soldiers who came in front of the Sakarya Governorate with armored vehicles at 11.44 p.m. entered the governorate building. Armed soldiers checked the rooms in the building one by one.
Resul Nişancı learned that he had been taking part in the coup attempt on television at a market on the night of July 15, which astonished him. After having been arrested and staying in prison for eight days, he was discharged.
Earthmovers blocked the tanks
Attempt to occupy the Istanbul Stock Exchange
Raid on the AK Party Istanbul Provincial Directorate
Atatürk Airport under occupation
Bloody struggle in Taksim
Clashes in Harbiye