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Page 14A WORLD East Oregonian Saturday, July 16, 2016 Turkish offi cials say coup plotters arrested Government says exiled cleric to blame Prime Minister calls emergency parliament meeting Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the nation Saturday that his government was working to crush a coup attempt after a night of explo- sions, air battles and gunfi re across the capital that left dozens dead and at least 150 people wounded. Government offi cials said the coup appeared to have failed as Turks took to the streets overnight to confront troops attempting to take over the country. However, the sounds of huge blasts, including at least one bomb that hit the parliament complex, continued to ring out in the capital, Ankara, and Istanbul throughout the morning. Speaking on national television from Istanbul, Erdogan said the government was arresting coup supporters in the military and warned “they will pay a heavy price for their treason to Turkey,” according to a transcript of his remarks provided by his offi ce. ‘’Those who stain the military’s reputation must leave. The process has started today and it will continue just as we fi ght other terrorist groups.” Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, said more than 120 arrests were made. Erdogan, who said his general secretary had been abducted by the coup plotters, fl ew into Istanbul’s Ataturk airport early Saturday and was greeted by large crowds. Hours earlier, as the coup attempt got underway, his offi ce declined to say where he was, and he was forced to give an interview over FaceTime to a television station. The chaos capped a period of political turmoil in Turkey which critics blamed on Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian rule, which has included a government shake-up, a crackdown on dissi- dents and opposition media and renewed confl ict in the mainly Kurdish areas of the southeast. Turkey, a NATO member, is a key partner in U.S.-led efforts to defeat the Islamic State group, and has allowed American jets to use its Incirlik air base to fl y missions against the extremists in nearby Syria and Iraq. A coup against the democratically elected government could make it diffi cult for the United States to continue to cooperate with Turkey. U.S. President Barack Obama urged all sides in Turkey to support AP Photo/Emrah Gurel Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul’s Taksim square, early Saturday. the democratically elected govern- ment. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he spoke to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and called for respect for democracy. The coup attempt began late Friday, with a statement from the military saying it had seized control “to reinstall the constitu- tional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms, to ensure that the rule of law once again reigns in the country, for law and order to be reinstated.” Fighter jets buzzed overhead, gunfi re erupted outside military headquarters and vehicles blocked two major bridges in Istanbul. Soldiers backed by tanks blocked entry to Istanbul’s airport for a couple of hours, before being over- taken by pro-government crowds carrying Turkish fl ags, according to footage broadcast by the Dogan news agency. But the military did not appear unifi ed, with top commanders taking to television to condemn the action and order troops back to their barracks. “Those who are attempting a coup will not succeed. Our people should know that we will overcome this,” Gen. Zekai Aksakalli, the commander of the military special forces, told the private NTV televi- sion by telephone. Fighter jets under the control of loyalist forces were fl ying over the capital to strike at helicopters fl own by coup supporters, the Anadolu news agency said. NTV reported that one helicopter was shot down. AP Photo Tanks move into position as Turkish people attempt to stop them, in Ankara, Turkey, early Saturday. Gunfi re and explosions rang out. Erdogan called on Turks to take to the streets across the country, and many did, marching through the streets of Izmir and Istanbul, waving Turkish fl ags and gathering in the main square in Ankara. The Dogan news agency reported that soldiers fi red on a group of people trying to cross the Bosporus bridge to protest the attempted coup, and that some people have been hurt. TV footage showed people running for cover amid gunfi re. Troops also fi red in the air to disperse a growing crowd of government supporters at the Taksim monument in Istanbul as military helicopters fl ew over- head. A nearby mosque made an anti-coup announcement over its loudspeakers. Several blasts and the screech of fi ghter jets were heard in central Istanbul as dawn approached. At least 42 people were killed in the capital, NTV quoted the prose- cutor’s offi ce as saying. Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman said a bomb hit one corner of a building inside the parliament complex, injuring some police offi cers. In Istanbul, an offi cial at Haydar- pasa Numune Hospital said at least 150 people were admitted with wounds but would not comment on whether there were fatalities. NTV reported six dead had been brought to that hospital. An offi cial at Istanbul’s Sisli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital said they had also received dead (AP) — A lawyer for the Turkish government, Robert Amsterdam, said that “there are indications of direct involvement” in the coup attempt by Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric who is living in exile in Pennsylvania. He said he and his fi rm “have attempted repeatedly to warn the U.S. government of the threat posed” by Gulen and his movement. According to Turkish intelligence sources, he said, “there are signs that Gulen is working closely with certain members of military leadership against the elected civilian government.” The president of a group that promotes Gulen’s ideas, the New York-based Alliance for Shared Values, denied the charges. Y. Alp Aslandogan told The Associated Press “we categorically deny such accusations and fi nd them to be highly irresponsible.” Earlier in the evening, the alliance said, “we condemn any military intervention in (the) domestic politics of Turkey.” and wounded. Both offi cials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to comment publicly. Parliament Speaker Ismail Kahraman said a bomb hit one corner of a public relations building inside the parliament complex, injuring some police offi cers. In his TV address, Erdogan blamed the attack on supporters of Fethullah Gulen. Erdogan has long accused the cleric and his supporters of attempting to over- throw the government. The cleric lives in exile in Pennsylvania and promotes a philosophy that blends a mystical form of Islam with staunch advocacy of democracy, education, science and interfaith dialogue. By Saturday morning, a top Turkish offi cial said the coup attempt appeared to have been repelled. The senior offi cial told The Associated Press that all government offi cials were in charge of their offi ces. The offi cial requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. As the crisis unfolded, there were reports that access to popular social media sites like Twitter and Facebook had been blocked within the country. Facebook declined comment, Twitter said it suspected “intentional” interference with its service. An out-of-place truck, then screams as Nice attack unfolded Associated Press NICE, France — Almost instantly, those in its murderous path could tell that the speeding white truck was all wrong so late at night on Nice’s beachfront boulevard whose bright lights glittered along the bay like a string of stars. The Promenade des Anglais was meant to be closed to traffi c, cordoned off with metal barriers and plastic tape, so families and tourists could stroll worry-free beside the azure waters of the Medi- terranean and marvel at the Bastille Day fi reworks. The truck sped straight for them, slowing at times, accelerating at others, leaving death, screams and horrifi c injuries in its wake. “I realized right away it was a terrorist attack when I saw the truck crushing people,” said Antonio Arribas, who was with his cousin, Diego. The rented 21 U.S.-ton truck zigzagged for 1.3 miles through holiday crowds like a snow plow, leaving a gruesome trail of crushed and mangled bodies. The 84 dead included French and foreigners, children and adults. Just when Egyptian tourist Nader El Shafei looked like he might fall next under its large wheels, the truck stopped. The attacker, a 31-year-old Tunisian who lived in Nice and drove for living, was killed by police gunfi re. Moments earlier, as the fi reworks show was ending, El Shafei said he’d looked at the large crowds and thought to himself: “If someone crazy want(s) to do something, this is the right place and the right time, among all those innocent people.” He had traveled to Nice Negresco hotel F R A N C E Paris FRANCE Truck comes to a stop here. N99 N7 Nice N I C E Children’s hospital Pr o n me ad e d An es gla is Baie Des Anges 1/8 mi 1/8 km 31-year old Nice resident, Mohamed Bouhlel, began driving a large truck on the promenade at 10:45 p.m. local time. Bouhlel plowed through crowds the entire way, killing at least 84 people and injuring at least 202. Bouhlel shot at three officers at the Negresco hotel. They fired back and followed the truck and the truck halted at the Palais de la Mediteranee, where he was killed. AP expecting to see “paradise.” “But I saw something else,” he said. He caught the scene on video — the crackle of gunshots, offi cers warily approaching the cab with its windshield pockmarked with holes. El Shafei said he saw the driver, later identifi ed by authorities as Mohamed Bouhlel, fi re back through a window. France’s third attack with mass casualties in 18 months was even more indiscriminate than the others. The dead in Nice included at least 10 children and adolescents. They had come to marvel at the fi reworks, “to feel joy, to share in happiness and be dazzled,” said President Francois Hollande. “And they were struck, struck to death, to satisfy the cruelty of an individual and perhaps of a group,” he said after visiting a hospital that treated victims. French offi cials called it an undeniable act of terror, but no group claimed respon- sibility and it was unclear if the driver had any ties to extremists. Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said the refrigerated truck was rented in the outskirts of Nice on July 11. It was due back July 13 but instead was parked east of the city. Bouhlel rode a bike to the truck, Molins said. About 25 minutes before the fi reworks show, he clambered aboard and drove toward the city — and the crowded promenade near Nice’s glittering hotels. The truck’s murderous journey lasted 15 city blocks. Video showed the truck moving slowly at one point — so slowly that a man in a white shirt was able, at a run, to catch up with it. There were two sharp sounds as he caught up with it. It was unclear whether the sounds were him banging on its closed back doors to get it to stop, or gunfi re. A speeding motorcycle rider also pulled even with the driver’s cab, swerving with a screech of tires around a pedestrian. The motorcyclist Summer Gift s for everyone on your list! Put a smile on the heart with the power of flowers. HWY 395, HERMISTON 541-567-4305 Mon-Sat 8am-6pm • Sun 12pm-5am www.cottagefl owersonline.com ditched his bike and also ran alongside and even managed to grab the truck to try to get it to stop. Then the truck dramat- ically picked up speed as people fl ed in terror. “I thought it could either be a drunk driver or a terror attack,” said German tourist Richard Gutjahr, who fi lmed it from a hotel balcony. People were hit head on. “A lot of them had been dragged under the lorry and were not recognizable,” English tourist Simon Coates, who was cycling back to his hotel when the truck approached, told the BBC. “I saw some dreadful things. It was like a chamber of horrors. Every person seemed to have died in an increasingly grotesque way.” Molins said Bouhlel shot at three police offi cers outside the palatial Negresco Hotel. They fi red back and pursued the truck as it continued on for another 300 yards to the Palais de la Mediterranee Hotel. More shots were fi red there. Bouhlel was found dead in the passenger seat. El Shafei, the 42-year-old Egyptian, said the truck ran over a girl before it stopped right in front of him. While someone else pulled the motionless girl out from under the truck, El Shafei said he started to yell at the driver. He’d seen the truck swerve and the driver wrestle with the wheel before it stopped, he said, making him think this was an accident — a loss of control of the vehicle — until the shots rang out. “I kept waving to him, ‘Stop, stop! There are people under your truck,”’ El Shafei said. Police urged people to run, he added. He thought, “The truck has a bomb or something or maybe he is a suicide guy.” Bruce Thoma s Smith s Original Texa ck Roadhouse Ro July 16 @ 8PM Pendleton Red Lion Inn • 304 SE Nye Ave Pendleton, Or 541.276.6111 Presented by www.glcproductions.com