Turkey continues crackdown on coup plotters; thousands arrested

Authorities have also issued arrest warrants for 2,745 judges and prosecutors across the country.

The Turkish authorities have detained a senior air force general and other officers who are accused of supporting the failed coup on Friday night.

Hurriyet Daily reported that Brigadier Bekir Ercan Van was detained for interrogation on Saturday at the air force base of Incirlik in Turkey's southern Adana province. Many lower ranking officers were also detained along with the senior officer.

A Turkish official told AFP that Ankara suspected that Incirlik was used by the coup plotters to refuel the military aircraft on Friday night. The base had become a key hub for US forces after Turkey agreed to allow them to use it for carrying out raids against extremists in Syria.

Meanwhile, the supporters of President Tayyip Erdogan rallied in public squares, at Istanbul airport and outside his palace, waving Turkish flags overnight after a failed coup attempt that killed at least 265 people in Turkey.

The government detained almost 3,000 suspected military plotters, including top commanders and foot soldiers on Saturday suspecting their involvement in the attempted coup.

The state-run Anatolia news agency said that in an operation on early Sunday, Commander Ozhan Ozbakir was detained along with 51 other soldiers at the garrison in the western town of Denizli.

However, the crackdown is not restricted to the military; authorities have also issued arrest warrants for almost 2,745 judges and prosecutors across Turkey.

US President Barack Obama urged all the parties to "act within the rule of law" in the aftermath of the coup.

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