At least 6,000 people from army, judiciary held after Turkey coup bid

ISTANBUL/ANKARA: Widening the crackdown on those behind a failed military coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, authorities rounded up around

ISTANBUL/ANKARA: Widening the crackdown on those behind a failed military coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, authorities rounded up around 6,000 people from the armed forces and judiciary on Sunday.

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Overnight, supporters of Erdogan rallied in public squares, at Istanbul airport and outside his palace in a show of defiance after the coup attempt killed at least 265 people.

The US urged Turkey to exercise restraint and warned that public suggestions of a US role in the plot were “utterly false” and harmful to relations. President Barack Obama urged parties on all sides to avoid destabilising Turkey. “Public insinuations or claims about any role by the United States in the failed coup attempt are utterly false and harmful to our bilateral relations,” Secretary of State John Kerry said, according to the state department.

The coup attempt complicated US-led efforts to combat Islamic State as Turkey closed its airspace to military aircraft in Incirlik air base, which American forces use to launch air attacks against the terror group. US officials were working with Turkish officials to resume air operations quickly, the Pentagon said.

Erdogan’s government has accused US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen of being behind the coup attempt. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said any country that stands by Gulen will be considered at war with Turkey, and Erdogan urged Washington to deport the cleric. Kerry made clear US would only act if there was evidence against Gulen.

With expectations growing of heavy measures against dissent, European politicians warned Erdogan that the coup attempt did not give him a blank cheque to disregard the rule of law. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag was cited as saying that more arrests were expected on top of the 6,000 people already detained.

Among those arrested is General Bekir Ercan Van, commander of the Incirlik air base, an official said. A military aide of Erdogan was also taken into custody, reports said.

“Control across Turkey has been restored and there are no clashes at the moment,” a senior official said, adding although a few groups of coup plotters were holding out in Istanbul, they no longer posed a risk.

The crackdown appears to intensify a longstanding push by Erdogan to root out the influence of followers of Gulen.

Erdogan promised a purge of the armed forces even before the coup attempt was over.

“They will pay a heavy price for this,” he said. “This uprising is a gift from God to us because this will be a reason to cleanse our army.”

At a rally late on Saturday, his supporters demanded that the coup leaders be executed.

“Let’s hang them!” chanted the crowd in Ankara’s central Kizilay square.

Erdogan told them parliament may consider a proposal to bring back the death penalty, which has been abolished.

Meanwhile, the US urged Turkey on Saturday to exercise restraint.