Media: Russia warned Turkey about military coup
It was Russia that gave Turkish national intelligence information on the military coup being planned in the country, Iranian news outlet Fars reports, citing unidentified Arabic media. The information concerned Turkish President Recep Erdogan directly. Several helicopters were reportedly heading for a hotel in the Marmaris resort where the president was located at the time. Erdogan left the hotel 44 minutes before they arrived.
According to unidentified Turkish diplomats, the Russian army in the region intercepted radio messages which implied that the Turkish army was planning a coup d’état.
The sources claim that the reconnaissance division of the Russian army deployed at the Syrian Khmeimim air base was in possession of modern information interception systems.
The warning was received several hours before the coup began on July 15. The information provided by the National Intelligence Organization on 15 July 2016 at roughly 16:00 was evaluated at the headquarters of the General Staff of the Turkish army.
In order to prevent the coup, high-ranking Turkish military officers ordered all air and ground troops throughout the country to immediately cease all operations, including the use of military transport – tanks, plans and helicopters.
The coup organizers initiated their operation six hours earlier than originally scheduled, indicating that they may have understood that their plans had been exposed, but still decided to act.
The failed coup attempt in Turkey took place in 2016. According to the official explanation, it was spearheaded by former imam and preacher Fethullah Gülen, who resides in the US. Gülen manages a multi-billion dollar enterprise in Saudi Arabia and became a serious problem in Ankara-Riyadh relations. Fars speculates that high-ranking government officials in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi may have been informed about the coup in Turkey long before it began.