Turkey: Mass arrests after coup bid quashed, says PM

Mr Erdogan spoke to CNN Turk via Facetime, urging supporters to oppose the coup

Some 2,839 soldiers, including high-ranking officers, have been arrested after an attempted coup that is now over, says Turkey's PM Binali Yildirim.

The attempted coup was a "black stain on Turkish democracy", he said, with 161 civilians killed and 1,440 wounded. Explosions and gunfire were heard in Ankara, Istanbul and elsewhere overnight and thousands of Turks heeded President Erdogan's call to rise up against the coup-plotters.

Many people were injured in the overnight violence

It is unclear who was behind the coup. The authorities also said 104 suspected coup-plotters had also been killed.


Some 2,745 Turkish judges have also been dismissed in the wake of the coup, state media say. They are reported to include a member of the country's top court.

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