10 years have passed since FETÖ's July 15 coup attempt

10 years have passed since FETÖ's July 15, 2016 coup attempt. Following President Erdoğan's call, public resistance quelled the coup in 21 hours, and 253 people lost their lives.

On July 15, 2016, the coup attempt launched by the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) to overthrow Turkey's constitutional order was repelled exactly 10 years ago by the resolute resistance of the nation and security forces. Disguising itself as a religious structure, FETÖ had infiltrated the state's capillaries, built a cadre within the army, and moved into action on the night of July 15.

Chronology of the Coup Attempt

The organization's ringleader, Fetullah Gülen, in a video released on March 19, 2016, wearing a dark green robe, instructed his followers to prepare for a coup. Following this signal, "managers" from FETÖ's civilian structure had repeatedly traveled to the U.S. since December 2015 to meet with Gülen. In the planning at Akıncı Air Base, where the coup's deployment would take place, the start time was moved from 03:00 on July 16 to 20:30 on July 15.

Right after the operation order was given, 33 maroon berets from the Special Forces Command (ÖKK) gathered at Akıncı Air Base with necessary equipment and headed to the General Staff Headquarters. F-16s taking off from Akıncı began flying over the capital Ankara. TV channels broadcast the first news of military activity at 22:28. It was urgently announced that the bridges over the Bosphorus in Istanbul had been closed by soldiers.

At 23:02, then-Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım called NTV and said the government was in charge and that the perpetrators of the uprising would receive the heaviest punishment. At 23:05, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the coup attempt.

Pilots participating in the coup bombed the Police Aviation Department in Gölbaşı and then the Police Special Operations Department. Helicopters under the control of the coup plotters opened fire on the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) compound in Yenimahalle.

Former Lieutenant Colonel Ümit Gençer seized the TRT building and forced the presenter to read the coup declaration. At 00:24, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan connected to CNN Türk live broadcast and made a historic call: He invited the people to go to the squares and defend democracy.

Helicopter fire was opened on citizens gathered in front of the Gendarmerie General Command to oppose the coup plotters; 9 people died and dozens were injured. At 00:56, coup pilots Mehmet Yurdakul and İlhami Aygül bombed the Ankara Police Headquarters with a warplane. About 10 minutes later, another coup pilot Mustafa Özkan struck the same area a second time.

The coup plotters opened fire on citizens gathered in front of the General Staff Headquarters, and 36 people died in the attack. Unable to break the people's resistance, the coup plotters this time targeted the Parliament. A bomb was dropped from an F-16 flown by former officers Hasan Hüsnü Balıkcı and Uğur Uzunoğlu onto the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), wounding 32 people.

Around 03:00, citizens rescued the TRT building from the coup plotters, the channel returned to normal broadcasting, and the captured coup plotters were handed over to police. Between 03:14 and 03:19, coup pilot Hüseyin Türk dropped four bombs on TÜRKSAT facilities in an attempt to cut television and radio broadcasts.

Meanwhile, with President Erdoğan's call, an increasing number of citizens filled city squares and strategic public buildings, resolutely resisting the coup attempt. The coup plotters who seized the control tower at Istanbul Atatürk Airport were neutralized by police special operations teams. Shortly after, the ATA aircraft carrying President Erdoğan landed on the runway; thousands of citizens welcomed Erdoğan at the airport.

Right after the developments in Istanbul, the TBMM was attacked again. At 03:24 and 03:25, former captain Hüseyin Türk dropped two more bombs on the Parliament from an F-16. At 06:19, former pilot lieutenant Müslim Macit dropped two bombs on the intersection area near the Presidential Complex in Ankara; 15 citizens died and 7 were injured in the attack.

Suppressed in 21 Hours, 253 Lives Lost

The July 15, 2016 coup attempt was suppressed across Turkey in about 21 hours thanks to President Erdoğan's determined leadership, the people's sacrifice, and the patriotism of the security forces. According to official data, a total of 253 people, civilians and military personnel, lost their lives. To seize power, the coup plotters used approximately 9,000 soldiers, 35 warplanes, 37 helicopters, 246 armored vehicles including 74 tanks, and nearly 4,000 light weapons.

Death of FETÖ Ringleader Gülen and Extradition Process

The leader of FETÖ, which aimed to overthrow the constitutional order by infiltrating all of the state's capillaries, Fetullah Gülen, lived on a 130-acre farm consisting of eight villas in Pennsylvania, USA. Despite Turkey requesting his extradition seven times on 27 separate charges, the U.S. administration took no concrete steps. Fetullah Gülen died on October 20, 2024, at St. Luke's Hospital in Monroe. His death was confirmed by an official document sent to Turkish authorities by the U.S. State Department.