During coup bid Erdogan’s plane was in sights of rebel jets
During the failed coup in Turkey, two rebel F-16 fighter jets had Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s plane in their sights, but refrained from opening fire, says a report.
Erdogan was returning to Istanbul from a holiday in the coastal resort of Marmaris when the attempt coup began on Friday.
"At least two F-16s harassed Erdogan's plane while it was in the air and en route to Istanbul. They locked their radars on his plane and on two other F-16s protecting him," Reuters quoted an informed former military officer as saying in a report published on Sunday.
"Why they didn't fire is a mystery," added the former officer.
Another informed source from the Turkish government confirmed that Erdogan’s plane had been harassed while leaving Marmaris by jets piloted by coup plotters.
The incident has also been verified by another senior Turkish official.
The botched putsch began late on July 15, when a faction of the Turkish military blocked Istanbul’s iconic Bosphorus Bridge and strafed the headquarters of the Turkish intelligence agency and parliament in the capital.
Tanks, helicopters, and soldiers clashed with police and people on the streets of the two main cities.
According to a latest report by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the death toll from Turkey’s failed military coup has risen to more than 290. Over 1,400 people have also been wounded.
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