Insight - At height of Turkish coup bid, rebel jets had Erdogan's plane in their sights


  • World
  • Monday, 18 Jul 2016

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan helps to carry a coffin with a victim of a thwarted coup following a funeral service in Istanbul, Turkey, July 17, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - At the height of the attempt to overthrow Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, the rebel pilots of two F-16 fighter jets had Erdogan's plane in their sights. And yet he was able to fly on.

The Turkish leader was returning to Istanbul from a holiday near the coastal resort of Marmaris after a faction in the military launched the coup attempt on Friday night, sealing off a bridge across the Bosphorus, trying to capture Istanbul's main airport and sending tanks to parliament in Ankara.

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