ISTANBUL — Turkey's military attempted to overthrow the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, the country's prime minister said on live television.
His surprise announcement comes as military tanks and personnel were deployed across the capital, Ankara, and the country's largest city, Istanbul. Helicopters and fighter jets were reported by residents to be flying low over both cities Friday night.
Soldiers blocked the two major bridges across the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told local television station NTV that his government would "not allow" the military, which has staged coups in the past, to take over.
"We will not stray from democracy," he said.