Turkey coup plot: thousands detained

This article is more than 12 months old

Jul 18, 2016 06:01 am

Turkey has detained more than 6,000 people over the coup plot aimed at ousting the government, and the number will rise, Turkey's Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said yesterday.

"Now the clean-up operations are continuing... The number will increase above 6,000," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Anadolu news agency.

The Turkish authorities rounded up dozens of senior military personnel and judges in a ruthless crackdown on Sunday, after thousands massed in the streets nationwide overnight to denounce a coup aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

World leaders including US President Barack Obama strongly condemned the attempted putsch, but also urged Turkey to respect the "rule of law", especially after pictures emerged showing the rough treatment of some coup plotters when arrested. - AFP