Turkey's president has declared a three-month state of emergency in response to Friday's failed coup d'etat.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 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.

He made the declaration in a speech from the capital Ankara, telling citizen they should not have "the slightest concern with regards to democracy, rule of law, fundamental rights and freedoms".

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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 announcement followed long meetings of Turkey's national security council and cabinet chaired by Erdogan at the presidential palace.

Erdogan vowed that democracy would not be compromised in Turkey.

"We have never made compromises on democracy. And we will never make" them, Erdogan told a news conference in Ankara.

The announcement comes as the nationwide crackdown continues, as purges in the judiciary, military, civil service and education widen.

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Around 60,000 people have been purged from their jobs since Friday's coup attempt. Source: AFP

Two members of Turkey's constitutional court have been arrested, private broadcaster NTV is reporting.

About 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants and teachers have been suspended, detained or are under investigation since Friday's attempted coup staged by a faction within the armed forces.

The two constitutional court members were among a group of 113 officials from the judiciary formally arrested on Wednesday, NTV said.

Formal charges were also brought against President Tayyip Erdogan's chief aide-de-camp, it said.

The failed putsch and the ensuing purges have seriously unsettled Turkey, a country of nearly 80 million which borders Syria and is a Western ally against Islamic State.

Wikileaks blocked

Anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks has released nearly 300,000 emails linked to President Erdogan's ruling AKP party, with the nation immediately blocking access on Wednesday.

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