Fear has taken over Turkey because of the Turkish coup underway, starting on Friday night, with the sole purpose of bringing down President Recep Tayyp Erdoğan, a man who has wanted to unite Turkey and have more control over their armed forces. "The military claimed it was taking power from the democratically elected president because he has grown increasingly authoritarian over the past 13 years in power and to stop a sustained terrorist threat from ISIS across the border in Syria." Even critics of Erdoğan and Turkish media have taken the side of anti-coup protesters, that have flooded the streets of Istanbul, defensively waving the Turkish flag and facing armed soldiers with armored vehicles.

The events began around 10 p.m. The military stopped traffic on two bridges in Istanbul, which cross the Bosporus and connect Europe and Asia, and jets were in the skies of Ankara, the capital of Turkey. Military forces then took control of the television network owned by the state and forced an anchor to read a script denouncing Erdoğan as a traitor. Erdoğan's general security was abducted by the troops.

There have been reports of deaths so far: twelve citizens near a Parliament building because of an explosion and seven police officers in a military helicopter, attacked by Turkish troops. The Associated Press was told by an official in the Haydarpasa Numune Hospital that they have admitted at least 150 wounded. Gunshots can be heard all around the Istanbul, especially in Taksim Square, but it has not stopped protesters to flood the streets to defend their president, who had urged them to fight back. Even reports of low-flying military planes have been heard. A lot of Turkish citizens have decided to take the safer route and hide in their homes because of the curfew put in place, along with American citizens after the American Embassy advised them to seek shelter.

Although the Turkish coup is hoping for President Erdoğan to step down the hard way, he does not seem very frazzled by their extreme actions in the country while broadcasting from the Istanbul Ataturk Airport. In this broadcast, he said, "what is being perpetrated is a rebellion and a treason. They will pay a heavy price for their treason to Turkey," and continued on to promise that he wasn't going anywhere.

According to Turkish media, around 2 a.m., a large group of protesters gathered at Ataturk Airport, and the military had started to withdraw. However, after withdrawing from the area in which President Erdogan sat, a part of the Turkish military released a statement that it had taken control of the country and overthrown NATO's members, according to DHA.

“Turkish armed forces seized the rule of the country completely with the aim of reinstalling the constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms, to make rule of law pervade again, to re-establish the ruined public order,” the statement quoted by DHA said. “All the international agreements and promises are valid. We hope our good relations with all global countries goes on.

This isn't the first military coup in Turkey. Since the founding of Turkey in 1923, the military has staged coups in 1960, 1971, 1980, and 1993.

• 1993 - To prevent a peace settlement with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)

• 1980 - Military coup because of a tense conflict between right-wing and left-wing groups

• 1971 - Military coup known as the "coup by memorandum", which the military delivered instead of sending out tanks
• 1960 - Coup by group of young military officer outside chain of command, against the democratically-elected Democrat Party

The confirmation that a Turkish coup was unfolding came from Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. “It is correct that there is an attempt,” he said, but afterwards he continued on to state that the operation could not succeed.