State of emergency declared in Turkey after coup attempt

Ankara - Erdogan said the state of emergency is a measure "against the terror threat facing our country".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey in order to hunt down all those deemed to be behind an attempted coup.
The state of emergency was needed "in order to remove swiftly all the elements of the terrorist organisation involved in the coup attempt," he said at the presidential palace in Ankara.
Turkey has accused the group of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen of being behind the coup and acting as a terror group. Gulen vehemently denies the charge.
"The decision has been made to declare the state of emergency for a period of three months," he said at a news conference.
He said the state of emergency is a measure "against the terror threat facing our country".
The annoucment followed long meetings of Turkey's national security council and cabinet chaired by Erdogan at the presidential palace.