Turkey Brutality of country's failed coup caught on phones, social media

PROTESTERS

Government officials have also been sharing the phone footage, citing it as evidence of the brutality of a coup bid they blame on Erdogan's arch-rival Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric they accuse of trying to establish a "parallel state" with his followers in the judiciary and security forces.

"When Fethullah Gulen said, 'May fire rain down', it turns out he was talking about Cobra helicopters firing on civilians!" tweeted a user under the handle @BorsaStrateji.

Gulen has denied involvement in the plot and suggested it may have been staged in order to justify a crackdown by Erdogan on members of his religious movement, who define themselves as conservative Muslims who believe in the importance of education and charity. They deny charges of acting against the state.

A Twitter account that opened within hours of the bungled intervention, called Failed Coup Facts, posted a security video that depicts a helicopter gunship strafing a road with electric-blue cannon fire near the headquarters of the national intelligence agency, narrowly missing moving cars.

Agents fruitlessly shoot back with rifles and handguns.

The account posted another video showing a tank in Ankara running over protesters who were initially trying to block its path but then attempted to escape to the side of the road. At least three people are killed in the footage, including one man who is eviscerated.

Other users posted footage of a tank rushing towards the entry of the Bosphorus Bridge that connects Istanbul's European and Asian districts and was seized during the coup attempt. It crushes at least two cars and knocks more out of the way.

Rebel soldiers on the bridge open fire when protesters gather, including those trying to help the wounded, a separate YouTube clip shows. In another video, which a Turkish official shared with reporters, soldiers shoot a man approaching them with raised arms.

Acts of retribution against soldiers involved in the coup plot who surrendered or were captured have also circulated on social media. Some showed protesters whipping detainees in military uniforms rounded up on the bridge.

But one video retweeted thousands of times showed an act of kindness. A pro-government police officer pushes away men who appear determined to lynch a soldier trapped in his tank.

The officer pulls him out, sees his tears and embraces him.