Türkiye will mark Wednesday the 10th anniversary of the July 15 2016 failed coup attempt carried out by members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), which left 253 people dead and sought to overthrow the country's democratically elected government.
Presenting itself as a religious movement while infiltrating state institutions, including the Turkish Armed Forces, FETO attempted to seize power through a military coup after years of covert organisation within the state.
Before the coup attempt, the group carried out several operations against the government, including efforts to summon then-National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Undersecretary Hakan Fidan for questioning, the December 17-25 investigations, and the interception of MIT trucks.
Following the Justice and Development (AK) Party's victory in the November 1 2015 elections, and anticipating the removal of FETO-linked officers through Supreme Military Council decisions, the organisation accelerated its coup plans.
FETO ringleader Fetullah Gulen called on members of the organisation within the military to stage a coup during a televised appearance on March 19 2016.
Senior civilian and military members later finalised preparations through meetings held in Türkiye and the US, where Adil Oksuz and Kemal Batmaz presented a plan to Gulen before returning to Türkiye days before the coup.
Coup plot uncovered hours before launch
Hours before the planned coup, a major serving at the Army Aviation Command informed MIT that FETO members were planning to detain Fidan. The information was relayed to then-Deputy Chief of the General Staff General Yasar Guler, who informed then-Chief of the General Staff Hulusi Akar.
Akar ordered military aircraft back to their bases, closed the airspace and instructed commanders to restrict military movements. After learning their plans had been exposed, the plotters brought forward the coup attempt from its planned start time of 3:00am on July 16 to 8:30pm on July 15.
Military vehicles were deployed across Ankara as coup plotters occupied strategic sites and issued martial law orders. Staff Sgt. Bulent Aydin became the first person killed during the coup attempt after being shot at the General Staff Headquarters.
F-16 fighter jets flew at low altitude over Ankara while soldiers blocked the then Bosphorus Bridge and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge in Istanbul. Then-Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the government remained in office as prosecutors launched a criminal investigation.
Public resistance turns the tide
FETO terrorists bombed the Police Aviation Department and the Special Operations Department in Golbasi, Ankara, attacked the MIT compound in Yenimahalle and seized state broadcaster TRT, forcing staff to read the coup declaration.
At 12.24 am on July 16, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared live on CNN Turk and called on the public to take to the streets. Thousands responded, confronting coup forces across the country despite repeated attacks.
Staff Sgt. Omer Halisdemir, acting on orders from Special Forces Commander Lt. Gen. Zekai Aksakalli, shot coup Brig. Gen. Semih Terzi as he arrived to seize the Special Forces Command. Halisdemir was immediately killed by accompanying FETO terrorists.
The coup plotters also bombed the Turkish Grand National Assembly twice and attacked TURKSAT facilities, while police regained control of TRT and detained those occupying the broadcaster.
The violence continued into the morning before security forces regained control. Then-Prime Minister Yildirim authorised Lt. Gen. Ziya Kemal Kadioglu to shoot down aircraft controlled by the coup plotters.
Akar was rescued from Akinci Air Base and, on Erdogan's instructions, the base's main runway was struck to prevent further take-offs.
At 12.57 pm on July 16, Yildirim announced that the coup attempt had been suppressed. The plot was defeated within about 21 hours through public resistance and the actions of loyal security forces.
Official figures showed that 253 civilians and security personnel were killed. The coup plotters deployed about 9,000 military personnel, 35 aircraft, 37 helicopters, 246 armoured vehicles, including 74 tanks, and nearly 4,000 light weapons.
Gulen's role and aftermath
According to Turkish authorities, Gulen, who founded the organisation in the 1960s and fled to the US in 1999, directed the July 15 coup attempt and other operations from Pennsylvania.
Despite Türkiye submitting seven extradition requests covering 27 charges, US authorities did not extradite him.
Gulen died on October 20 2024, at St. Luke's Hospital's Monroe campus in Pennsylvania. Turkish authorities said the US Department of State officially confirmed his death through a formal document.
