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Turkey’s President Erdogan orders closure of over 1000 schools linked to Gülen

Muhammet Sait Gulen was taken into custody in Erzurum, eastern Turkey, and will bo Ankara, the report said. His uncle in Pennyslvania is accused of “masterminding” the failed putsch through his movement.

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Those institutions “belong to, have ties with or are in communication with” the Gulen movement, according to a decree published Saturday in Turkey’s official gazette.

Parliament must still approve the decree but requires only a simply majority, which the ruling AK Party founded by Erdogan and in power in Turkey since 2002 commands.

Mr Erdogan told France 24 television on Saturday that the European Union was “biased and prejudiced” against Turkey.

“They are making statements that are contradictory”.

Strains have also grown with the United States, which relies on Turkish bases to launch airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

The deadly coup attempt began late on July 15 when rogue elements of the Turkish military tried to overthrow the country’s democratically elected government, killing 246 people and injuring more than 2,100 others.

On Friday evening, President Erdogan met a newlywed couple.

He also flatly rejected claims that the USA had prior intelligence of the putsch attempt, calling such suggestions “unequivocally false”.

Ankara has insisted that the measures would not add up to an attack on democracy, arguing that they were no different to those France had taken after a series of bloody attacks.

Turkey does not plan to extend emergency rule beyond a period of three months following the failed coup, but will do so if necessary, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said. Erdogan told France 24 on Saturday that Turkey has no choice but to impose stringent security measures, after the attempted coup that killed about 290 people and was put down by loyalist forces and protesters. Cars and mini-buses honking their horns drive around the streets until late in the night carrying flag-waving supporters of Erdogan shouting patriotic or religious slogans.

But rights activists and opposition groups, including from Turkey’s Kurdish minority, fear a widening witchhunt of government critics.

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Additionally, more than 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, teachers and civil servants have been suspended, detained or placed under investigation in the past week. Thousands of other service personnel, including more than 100 generals and admirals, remain in detention.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas pass by the Turkish Presidential Guard Regiment soldiers in Ankara