Erdogan’s comments came after a five-hour meeting of Turkey’s Supreme Military Council (YAS) – chaired by Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and including the top brass – and the dishonorable discharge of almost 1,700 military personnel over their alleged role in the abortive putsch on July 15-16.
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The gathering comes a day after the government dramatically stepped up its post-coup crackdown, announcing mass military dismissals and closing down dozens of media outlets.
Zaman and a sister publication were raided by police in March for their supposed connection to the Hizmet religious movement led by exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania.
He further accuses Erdogan of trying to blackmail the United States into extraditing him, by threatening to cut back Turkey’s “support for the global coalition against the Islamic State”.
The media reported on Monday that arrest warrants had been issued for 42 other journalists, 16 of whom have so far been taken into custody.
The detention of journalists ordered on Wednesday involved columnists and other staff of the now defunct Zaman newspaper, a government official said.
“All politicians, including the president, were on a death list”.
Separately, Turkey’s capital markets board said it had revoked the licence of the head of research at brokerage AK Investment and called for him to face charges over a report he wrote to investors analysing the coup.
Turkish officials say this shows the extent to which the armed forces were infiltrated at the hightest level by supporters of Gulen.
The Journal notes that while Turkey has shared “some information” with the USA about Gulen’s alleged involvement in the coup, the information was deemed insufficient for extradition, and Turkey has not actually submitted a formal extradition request as of yet.
In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it was “right and important” for Turkey to pursue the coup plotters.
In the wake of the coup the military has already lost control of the coastguard and gendarmerie, which will now be the responsibility of the interior ministry.
The hastily convened meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAS) in Ankara will bring together Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and the land, sea and air force commanders, along with other top figures untarnished by the attempted power grab.
Both the General Staff and MIT now report to the prime minister’s office.
Zaman was once largely supportive of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), but shifted along with the ties of the leaders.
The European Federation of Journalists, just prior to the failed putsch, announced that 34 journalists had been locked up in Turkey.
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The attempted coup has also tested Turkey’s ties with its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally the United States, where Gulen has lived in self-imposed exile since 1999. Responding to Turkey’s request for Gulen’s swift extradition, Washington has said Ankara must first provide clear evidence of his involvement in the coup.
