Saudis recall the night of suicide in Istanbul

Saudis had a nerve-racking 24 hours after Friday night's coup in Turkey.

Tourist Mariam Salman said: “At midnight we were at the reception of our hotel having coffee when the place was suddenly gripped by terror. Employees gathered around the television with fear on their faces. When we asked what was happening, they told us Turkey was undergoing a military coup.”
Mariam and her family were to leave Turkey two days before the coup, but they had extended their stay for five more days. “Phone calls didn’t stop and with the spread of each rumor we received more calls and messages. But the next day, everything went back to normal as if nothing had happened.”
Talking about his experience, Saudi playwright Abbas Al-Hayek said: “We were in Taqsim Square, and when we went back to the hotel we had a surprise phone call from Saudi Arabia asking if we were all right. I told them everything was fine and followed the issue on the news.
“We tried to phone the embassy or consulate but there was pressure on the communications systems. People started arriving at Taqsim Square. We could hear shots being fired and people shouting. We were really worried but there was nothing we could do. The news was conflicting and we didn’t know what was going to happen. I heard shots next to the hotel which frightened me,” he added.
“As news of the failure of the coup spread, we were comforted and had some rest after a night of terror. The passing of military planes in the area, flying at low altitude, turned our comfort into terror again. My wife was terrified because the noise was similar to an explosion and the hotel shook with it. This made us think about going back home,” he said.
Saudi Arabian Airlines sent a special plane to Istanbul to bring back Saudis to the Kingdom after the failed coup.
Saudia encouraged anyone who wanted to go back to the Kingdom to reach the call center on 920022222 or 0096265777766 from outside the Kingdom.
Saudia said flights will continue normally with five flights daily between Istanbul and the Kingdom. The company said it will increase its seating capacity to meet the needs of citizens who wish to return, saying the number of weekly trips from the Kingdom to Istanbul reaches 34 flights a week with a capacity of 17,134 seats.

Source: Arab News