Strains have grown with the USA, which relies on Turkish bases to launch airstrikes against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. The US only condemned the coup when it became clear, later that evening, that it was going to fail.
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Meanwhile, Turkey’s prime minister, Binali Yildirim, warned that coup plotters still at large might stage attacks, saying there is “a remote chance some madmen might take action, acting out of a sense of revenge and defeat”.
Erdogan, who narrowly evaded capture and possibly death during last Friday’s coup attempt by a faction within the military, thanked all political parties in parliament for backing his decision to declare a three-month state of emergency to enable authorities to track down supporters of the coup. In the latest measures, the government revoked almost 11,000 passports and detained 283 members of the presidential guard, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
Washington has said Ankara must first provide clear evidence of Fethullah Gulen’s involvement in the attempted coup and lawyers have said any extradition process could take years.
“All the evidence gathered so far points at this coup attempt was directed by followers of the Gulen terrorist organization”, Kilic said.
He also said that Turkey’s request for the cleric’s extradition from his home-in-exile, in the US state of Pennsylvania, must go through the USA legal process and would only be granted if Ankara can prove Gulen was behind the coup.
“And I said that to President Erdogan”.
He said the USA supports Erdogan’s democratically elected government and any reports Washington had prior knowledge of the attempted coup, or that there was any U.S. involvement, are completely false.
“America’s governed by rules of law, and those are not ones that the president of the United States or anybody else can just set aside for the sake of expediency”, Obama said. But US Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr said he could not yet give a “hard yes or no” on whether the materials submitted by Turkey constituted a formal extradition request. “Deep and widespread doubts remain, however, about (the Gulen) movement’s ultimate intentions”.
The Turkish officials said some of those arrested have already confessed the plot was orchestrated by Gulen himself. “Even when faced with the death penalty”.
After Brussels issued stinging criticism and warned Erdogan that bringing back the death penalty would end the membership bid for good, Erdogan fired back that the European Union had taken a “biased and prejudiced” stance on Turkey.
Erdogan announced the state of emergency in a televised address late Wednesday, following meetings with his national security council and Cabinet.
Additionally, civil servants can only travel overseas if they have written approval from their supervisors, the Anadolu agency reported.
Diplomats and most citizens who don’t work for the government are not affected by the travel restriction.
Erdogan has said the new powers granted by the state of emergency will counter threats to Turkish democracy, though critics are urging restraint because they fear the measures will violate basic freedoms.
The president has said July 15 would in future be marked as the “Remembrance Day of the Martyrs”.
Western countries backed Turkey’s government during last week’s failed putsch, but are increasingly anxious about Turkey’s subsequent crackdown against thousands of members of the security forces, judiciary, civil service and academia.
Standing outside the juvenile detention facility in the Istanbul suburb of Maltepe, families of about 60 cadets called on authorities to release them and put their commanders on trial instead. An official complaint was filed Thursday against the commanders by the relatives.
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Many Turks critical of Erdogan are keeping a low profile as the post-coup purge unfolds, but the president’s supporters appear invigorated.
