Fetullah Gülen, the leader of the Fetullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), launched a large-scale coup attempt in Türkiye on the night of July 15, 2016, on orders given from his compound in the US state of Pennsylvania. The organization, which disguised itself as a religious community, had infiltrated state institutions, built up strength within the military, and planned this night.
In a video published on March 19, 2016, Gülen appeared in a dark green robe and instructed his followers to prepare for a coup. Following this signal, managers from FETÖ's civilian wing traveled to the US multiple times from December 2015 onward to meet with Gülen. During the planning at Akıncı Air Base, where the coup's deployment would be staged, the start time was moved from 03:00 on July 16 to 20:30 on July 15.
How the coup attempt unfolded
Once the operation order was given, 33 maroon berets from the Special Forces Command gathered at Akıncı Air Base and headed for the General Staff Headquarters. F-16s took off from Akıncı and began flying over Ankara. At 22:28, television channels broadcast the first reports of military activity, and it was announced that soldiers had closed the bridges over the Bosphorus in Istanbul.
At 23:02, then-Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım announced that the government remained in charge and that the perpetrators of the uprising would face the heaviest penalties. At 23:05, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the coup attempt.
The coup pilots bombed the Police Aviation Department in Gölbaşı and then the Police Special Operations Department. Helicopters under the coup plotters' control opened fire on the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) campus in Yenimahalle. Former Lieutenant Colonel Ümit Gençer seized the TRT building and forced a news anchor to read the coup declaration on air.
At 00:24, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appeared live on CNN Türk and called on the public to take to the streets and defend democracy. This call ignited the resistance.
Fire was opened from a helicopter on citizens gathered in front of the Gendarmerie General Command; nine people lost their lives and dozens were injured. At 00:56, coup pilots Mehmet Yurdakul and İlhami Aygül bombed the Ankara Police Headquarters with a fighter jet. 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, killing 36 people. Unable to break the public's resistance, the coup plotters then targeted Parliament. A bomb was dropped on the Turkish Grand National Assembly from an F-16 flown by former officers Hasan Hüsnü Balıkcı and Uğur Uzunoğlu; 32 people were injured.
At around 03:00, citizens retook the TRT building from the coup plotters, the channel resumed normal broadcasting, and the captured plotters were handed over to the 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.
Heeding President Erdoğan's call, a growing number of citizens filled city squares and strategic public buildings, resolutely resisting the coup attempt. Coup plotters who seized the control tower at Istanbul Atatürk Airport were neutralized by police special operations teams. Shortly afterward, the ATA aircraft carrying President Erdoğan landed on the runway; thousands of citizens welcomed Erdoğan at the airport.
Immediately after the developments in Istanbul, the Turkish Grand National Assembly came under attack again. At 03:24 and 03:25, former Captain Hüseyin Türk dropped two more bombs on Parliament from an F-16. At 06:19, former Pilot Lieutenant Müslim Macit dropped two bombs on the junction area near the Presidential Complex in Ankara; 15 citizens were killed and seven were injured in the attack.
The coup suppressed in 21 hours and the casualties
The July 15, 2016 coup attempt was suppressed across the country within roughly 21 hours, thanks to President Erdoğan's resolute leadership, the public's sacrifice, and the patriotism of the security forces. According to official figures, a total of 253 people, both civilians and military personnel, lost their lives. To seize power, the coup plotters deployed around 9,000 soldiers, 35 fighter jets, 37 helicopters, 246 armored vehicles including 74 tanks, and nearly 4,000 light weapons.
The hideout in the US and Gülen's death
Fetullah Gülen, the leader of FETÖ, which aimed to overthrow the constitutional order by infiltrating every capillary of the state, lived on a 130-acre compound consisting of eight villas in the US state of Pennsylvania. Despite Türkiye filing seven extradition requests for Gülen on 27 separate charges, the US administration took no concrete action. Fetullah Gülen died on October 20, 2024, at St. Luke's Hospital in the city of Monroe. His death was confirmed by an official document sent to Turkish authorities by the US State Department.
