Turkey’s President Erdogan’s aircraft was being tracked by rebel F-16 fighter jets when it ‘vanished’ before the coup

Turkey: Before the failed attempted coup by section of the Turkish military on Friday last week, President Erdogan's luxury jet was been tracked on the radars of Turkish rebel F-16 fighters jet but Erdongan's jet suddenly disappeared saving his life and that instance alone stood as the defining moment that sealed the coup's fate.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan luxury Gulfstream IV executive jet was on an 800km return flight from a holiday at the Turkish Mediterranean resort of Marmaris which was an unexpected development for the coup plotters. Probably he'd been tipped-off about the imminent coup.

Though the coup plotters had made sure Istanbul’s Ataturk International airport was the first place to be occupied. That prevented Erdogan from landing.
Just then two supportive pilots belonging to the Turkish air force in commandeered fighter jets were roving in Ankara.

The F-16s flew through the dark sky with their radars sifting through the echoes and transponder codes of nearby aircraft (Freighters. Private aircraft. Passenger jetliners.) but the only code they were after for was the Erdogan’s Gulfstream as the rebel fighter jets flew through the dark sky to intercept with Guns primed. Missiles armed.

What happened?
 A former Turkish military officer with knowledge of the events said;

“At least two F-16s harassed Erdogan’s plane while it was in the air and en route to Istanbul. They locked their radars on his plane and on two other F-16s protecting him,”

“Why they didn’t fire is a mystery,” he said.

Now, we know.

Erdogan’s aircraft simply vanished.

At one point, Erdogan's jet was there, clearly distinguished among the flock of commercial traffic. And suddenly it disappeared.

Reluctantly, the rebel pilots searched the dark skies. Their mission to assassinate Erdogan was serious but they could not risk the embarrassment of accidentally shooting down a passenger jet full of international tourists as time quickly ran out. By then two fighter pilots loyal to president  Erdogan were flying to Istanbul to protect the President.