Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was reportedly on vacation in the south of Turkey as his country’s military launched a coup. And now, his whereabouts are unknown.
Erdogan could only address the country via a FaceTime call broadcast shoddily on television, signaling that he was likely on the move.
He called on citizens to take to the streets adding that he would soon join them, but his location remains unclear. The president’s office said Erdogan was safe in an undisclosed location.
The BBC reported that Erdogan was likely heading to Istanbul or out of the country. NBC reported that Erdogan had been denied asylum in Germany and would try to travel to London.
Michael Stephens, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said on BBC News that Erdogan would be unable to travel to Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport given the reported heavy military presence there. (Though the city does have at least one alternative airport).
“The fact he could only address the country by mobile phone is pretty damning,” Stephens said.
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Write to Justin Worland at justin.worland@time.com