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The former commander of Turkey's air force has reportedly confessed to plotting attempted coup

Jul 18, 2016, 21:51 IST

People attack and try to stop a Turkish police armored vehicle, carrying Turkish soldiers that participated in the coup and surrendered, Saturday, July 16, 2016.AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

The former chief of Turkey's air force, Akin Ozturk, has reportedly confessed to planning Friday's coup attempt in Turkey in which over 200 people died, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu agency.

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Ozturk apparently admitted to orchestrating the attempted takeover of Turkey's government by a faction within the Turkish armed forces calling itself the "Peace at Home Council" on Friday night.

The faction claimed to have seized power, taken over the government, and declared martial law on Friday night. They deployed forces onto the streets of Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey's largest city and capital, respectively, and closed two major bridges leading into Istanbul.

The uprising was ultimately thwarted by Turkish police and pro-government protesters.

Ozturk is a former four-star General in the Turkish Air Force who served as the 30th Commander of the Turkish Air Force until August 2015. He has been a member of Turkey's Supreme Military Council since leaving his post in the air force.

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The circumstances surrounding his confession remain unclear. Ozturk was one of 27 generals and admirals being interrogated by Turkish security forces on Monday, according to NBC. He initially denied having any part in the uprising.

Nearly 3,000 suspected military plotters have been detained in Turkey since Saturday.

This story is developing.

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