CAIRO — Some of Egypt’s pro-army media jumped the gun in their reporting on the attempted coup in Turkey, declaring it a success and welcoming the overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
At least three newspapers ran headlines Saturday declaring that Turkey’s army had overthrown Erdogan. But by the time their print editions came out, Turkey’s government had largely succeeded in quashing the coup after a night of clashes that left dozens dead.
As the events unfolded, Egyptian TV personality Ahmed Moussa declared “this isn’t a military coup,” but “a revolution within the Turkish armed forces.”
READ MORE: Attempted military coup in Turkey leaves 161 dead; Erdogan vows ‘heavy price’ for those responsible
Moussa was an avid supporter of Egypt’s military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. Erdogan harshly condemned Morsi’s overthrow, and the two countries have had tense relations since.