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Agence France-Presse

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency, vowing to hunt down the “terrorist” group behind last week’s bloody coup attempt.
He has accused followers of his arch-enemy, US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, of being behind the coup, which has led to a wave of some 50,000 arrests and sackings of suspected conspirators.
‘We see him as one of us’: why many Turks still support authoritarian Erdogan
The state of emergency was needed “in order to remove swiftly all the elements of the terrorist organisation involved in the coup attempt,” Erdogan said at the presidential palace in Ankara.
Although the special measure vastly increases state security powers, Erdogan vowed there would be “no compromise on democracy”.

The announcement followed long meetings of Turkey’s national security council and cabinet chaired by Erdogan at the presidential palace.
A state of emergency gives the government extra powers to restrict freedom of movement, said an official, adding that it would not restrict financial or commercial activities as “international law sets limits of restrictions”.
'Determined internet censor' Erdogan uses social media like a pro against coup
Turkey in 2002 lifted its last state of emergency, which had been imposed in provinces in the southeast for the fight against Kurdish militants in 1987.
Article 120 of the constitution allows a state of emergency to be imposed “at a time of serious deterioration of public order because of acts of violence.”

Global concern has grown as Turkish authorities have arrested or fired troops, police, judges, teachers and other civil servants in the aftermath of Friday’s failed bid to seize power by rebel troops.
Earlier the Turkish leader lashed out at critics of the sweeping purge, telling France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault - who had warned Erdogan not to use the failed coup as a “blank cheque” to silence his opponents - to “mind his own business”.
Blood in the streets of Istanbul: President Erdogan’s supporters confront soldiers over planned coup
“Does he have the authority to make these declarations about my person? No, he does not. If he wants a lesson in democracy, he can very easily get a lesson in democracy from us,” Erdogan said on al-Jazeera.
Earlier Wednesday US Secretary of State John Kerry, flanked by allied foreign ministers, said that while “we condemn this coup”, it was important that the response to it “fully respects that democracy that we are supporting”.

And German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman, in more direct comments, said that in Turkey “nearly every day we are seeing new measures that flout the rule of law and that disregard the principle of proportionality”.
Erdogan in the Al-Jazeera interview insisted that the arrests and suspensions had been carried out “within the law”, adding that “of course that does not mean we have come to the end of it”.
Turkey fires 25,000 teachers, professors and others in huge purge of ‘coup plotters’
Erdogan was in the Aegean resort of Marmaris when the coup struck. Narrowly escaping the rebel soldiers, he flew to Istanbul where he had stayed since, appearing before huge crowds of flag-waving supporters several nights in a row.
Turkish authorities have launched an operation to find 21 commandos who are suspected of the attack on Erdogan’s hotel.

Erdogan told CNN this week his life had been in grave danger.
“If I stayed (in Marmaris) 10, 15 minutes more, I would either have been killed or kidnapped and taken away by them,” he said.
The putsch left more than 300 dead and caused scenes of devastation, especially in Ankara where fighter jets and attack helicopters turned parts of parliament and the police headquarters to rubble.
Fethullah Gulen: the cleric Turkey blames for failed coup suggests president may have staged it himself
The government says 312 people were killed in the coup, including 145 civilians, 60 police, three soldiers and 104 plotters.
Erdogan admitted there had been “intelligence failures,” saying he had learnt about the coup from his brother-in-law.

The government has since cracked down hard on alleged rebel soldiers, formally arresting 99 of 118 detained generals and admirals, and also placing in custody thousands of troops, with some later seen bruised and wounded.
Ankara says the coup was masterminded by Gulen and the massive crackdown appears to be targeting individuals suspected of any connection to Erdogan’s former-ally-turned-foe.
WikiLeaks fights cyber-attack to publish email trove from Turkey's ruling party
Turkey has stepped up pressure on Washington to extradite him, sending several “dossiers” it says are packed with evidence about his alleged involvement.
In their first telephone conversation since the attempted overthrow, President Barack Obama pledged US assistance to Erdogan for the investigation into the putsch, which has threatened to once again raise tensions between the uneasy Nato allies.

Gulen issued a statement on Tuesday urging Washington to reject the extradition call and dismissed as “ridiculous” the claim he was behind the botched coup.
The 75-year-old reclusive cleric lives in Pennsylvania but retains vast interests in Turkey ranging from media to finance to schools and wields influence in various arms of the state, including the judiciary and police.
Attempted coup merely the latest in a long line of Turkish military interventions
Erdogan, asked if other countries could have been involved in the coup, told Al-Jazeera: “There could be.”
“The Gulen organisation has another superior mind, if you will, and the time will come when those connections will be deciphered.”



Erdogan declares three-month state of emergency in Turkey to hunt coup ‘terrorists’

Supporters stand in front of a screen displaying a portrait of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a rally at Kizilay Square in Ankara. Photo: AFP

An armed Turkish police officer stands guard in front of the damaged Ankara police headquarters on July 19, 2016, after it was bombed during the failed July 15 coup attempt. The Turkish army said on July 19 that the vast majority of its members had no links with the July 15 attempted coup and warned that the putschists would face severe punishment. The armed forces blamed the "Fethullah Terrorist Organisation" (FETO) for the failed putsch, referring to Fethullah Gulen, a one-time ally turned foe of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. / AFP PHOTO / DIMITAR DILKOFF

Turkish soldiers search for missing military personnel suspected of being involved in the coup attempt in Marmaris, Turkey, July 20, 2016. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz

Workers from Eyup district municipality in Istanbul, demolish the Halit Pasa Residence hotel, Wednesday, July 20, 2016. According to the state-run Anadolu news agency the hotel was allegedly the meeting point of the plotters who planned July 15 failed coup. The hotel had been subject to fines and demolition orders since 1993 and the directive to demolish the hotel was approved by the mayor and issued on July 18, three days after the failed coup. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

A detained Turkish soldier who allegedly took part in a military coup arrives with his hands bound behind his back at the Istanbul Justice Palace (Adalet Sarayi) on July 20, 2016, following the failed military coup attempt of July 15. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 20 chaired a crunch security meeting for the first time since the failed coup, as global alarm grew over a widening purge that has seen around 50,000 people either detained or sacked. / AFP PHOTO / OZAN KOSE

A pro-government supporter waves a Turkish flag in front of a panel bearing the names of civilians and police officers killed during the attempted coup, in central Istanbul's Taksim Square, Wednesday, July 20, 2016. Turkey on Wednesday intensified a sweeping crackdown on the media, the military, the courts and the education system following the recent attempted coup. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

epa05433737 A handout picture provided by Turkish President Press office shows, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Turkey, 20 July 2016. Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, living in self-imposed exile in the USA, has been accused by Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan of allegedly orchestrating the 15 July failed coup attempt. At least 290 people were killed and almost 1,500 injured amid violent clashes on July 15 as certain military factions attempted to stage a coup d'etat. EPA/TURKISH PRESIDENTAL PRESS OFFICE / HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whose followers Turkey blames for a failed coup, is shown in still image taken from video, as he speaks to journalists at his home in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania July 16, 2016. REUTERS/Greg Savoy/Reuters TV/File Photo

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President tries to assure the Turkish public, saying there would be no restrictions of personal freedom


Erdogan declares three-month state of emergency in Turkey to hunt coup ‘terrorists’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}President tries to assure the Turkish public, saying there would be no restrictions of personal freedom

President tries to assure the Turkish public, saying there would be no restrictions of personal freedom