UPDATE - Thousands flock to July 15 Martyrs' Bridge in Istanbul

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to attend national unity march at bridge

ADDS MORE DETAIL

By Burcu Arik

ISTANBUL (AA) - Thousands of people have flocked to Istanbul's iconic July 15 Martyrs' Bridge to mark the first anniversary of the defeated coup attempt.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to attend the national unity march at the bridge over the Bosphorous, which was renamed to honor the martyrs after the coup attempt.

Having gathered in Beylerbeyi, Cengelkoy, Altunizade and Kisikli districts of the Asian side of the city, people marched to the bridge amid tight security.

The bridge was closed by putschists on the night of the coup attempt and dozens people were killed on it.

The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

Kaynak:

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