NEWS

Turkish military helicopter lands in northern Greece; crew requests asylum

Turkish military helicopter lands in northern Greece; crew requests asylum

A Turkish military helicopter has landed in Alexandroupoli, northern Greece, the ANA-MPA news agency reported on Saturday, adding that its eight crew members are requesting political asylum.

Preliminary reports suggest the crew may belong to the faction of the Turkish armed forces that staged a coup on Friday night to topple Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government in Turkey.

Fighting between forces loyal to President Erdogan and military personnel backing the coup continues on Saturday in different parts of the country, with reports indicating that the government may be regaining control.

The Associated Press reported Turkish Prime Minister Benali Yildirim as saying that 161 people have been killed so far and over 1,400 people were wounded in the chaos. More than 2,800 people have been detained.

Erdogan returned to Istanbul after going to an undisclosed location on Friday night and vowed that those who carried out the coup will “pay.”

The eight helicopter crew members have been detained at a police precinct in Alexandroupoli on charges of illegal entry into the country.

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