How Turkish media were raided during coup attempt
- Published
Soldiers have raided Turkish media as they tried to take over the country in a coup attempt in which at least 161 people have died.
CNN Turk had its live broadcast shut down, while a journalist for state broadcaster TRT said she was made to read a statement by the coup plotters at gunpoint.
The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Gazetesi was also stormed by soldiers.
More than 2,800 military personnel, including four generals, have since been arrested.
The Turkish government says the attempted coup, in which 1,440 people were injured, is now over.
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The coup attempt began on Friday evening when a section of the armed forces placed tanks in positions on key bridges in Istanbul, blocking them to traffic.
Shortly after, the group released a statement saying that a "peace council" was running the country, and there would be a curfew and martial law.
As the attempt to gain control of the country continued, soldiers attempted to seize control of the media.
State broadcaster TRT was taken over first, with one of its journalists forced to read a statement by the army group at about 22:00 BST.
CNN Turk, a private broadcaster, was also raided, with soldiers entering its studio at the Dogan Media Centre in Ankara at about 01:30 BST.
The broadcaster's director and editor were taken out of the control room and its live news transmissions halted.
Its Facebook live feed was left showing an empty desk and chair.
The Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Gazetesi was also raided at about 01:30 BST.
Emre Kizilkaya, who works for the paper, said soldiers entered the building and took some of his colleagues hostage.
Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had addressed the country in an interview given to CNN Turk on his mobile phone at about 22:30 BST.
He said the coup attempt would be given the "necessary response" and called on Turkish people to go out on the streets to oppose it.
Access to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube had been temporarily blocked in Turkey by the government soon after reports of a coup emerged, according to Reuters.
But Mr Erdogan remained able to tweet and said the country would "never, ever tolerate unlawfulness" and would not allow democracy to be interfered with.
He later sent a text message to people in Turkey, reiterating his message that people should take to the streets to support his government.
As clashes continued overnight, increasing numbers of soldiers were arrested.
TRT was able to resume broadcasting at about 01:00 BST but CNN Turk remained off air until around 03.30 BST, when soldiers at its studios were arrested.
This video footage on Twitter, external shows the moment they were seized.
The broadcaster returned to air shortly afterwards.
Mr Kizilkaya, from Hurriyet Gazetesi, later tweeted, external that those who had raided his newspaper had been arrested.
He added that the journalists who had been taken hostage were fine but "traumatised".
Officials now say the coup attempt is over.
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