Erdogan cheated death when coup pilot chasing him ran out of fuel – state media
RT,
5
July, 2016
The
rebel pilot of an F-16 that had the Turkish president’s plane in
its sights failed to strike only because the fighter jet ran out of
fuel and had to change route, thus saving Erdogan’s life during the
coup attempt, the pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper claims.
The
F-16 tracked Erdogan’s plane on its radar, but couldn’t approach
close enough to fire as its fuel was reportedly running low, forcing
the pilot to abort the mission, according to Yeni Safak. The reason
why the F-16 didn’t fire had remained unknown until recently, with
a former military officer familiar with the events cited by Reuters
as saying it was “a mystery.”
“At
least two F-16s harassed Erdogan’s plane while it was in the air
and en route to Istanbul,” the officer noted.
This is probably Erdogan’s plane: Turkish Government GIV TC-ATA circling now @avischarf
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan managed to cheat death twice overnight
on June 15, Yeni Safak claims. Erdogan left the hotel in the resort
town of Marmaris where he was on family holiday just “minutes”
before an assassination squad came after him and then he evaded death
in the air.
President
Erdogan’s Gulfstream IV TC-ATA was prepared for the flight in
utmost secrecy, with no flight information revealed.
The
Turkish leader was on his way to Istanbul, but had to temporarily
change its flyway to the city of Izmir until it was safe to land at
the initial destination point. His plane reached the city unscathed
before daybreak on Saturday on July 16.
The
unplanned changes in his route were previously explained by “trouble
in the air,” as a high-ranking official put it, according to
Reuters.
The
coup plotters reportedly had bombed places in the resort town of
Marmaris after he left, Erdogan said, according to Reuters. Around 25
assassinators dispatched to the area from a helicopter in an effort
to seize and probably kill the Turkish president.
Turkish
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim allegedly was also targeted in
Istanbul during the coup attempt but managed to escape.
10 amazing things about Turkey's failed coup (Op-Edge by @Robert_Bridge)
The
failed coup took place in Turkey on July 15 and was suppressed the
following day. Nearly 250 people were killed while more than 2,000
suffered injuries, not counting the casualties among the plotters,
according to Turkey’s authorities.
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