Reporting from Istanbul, Turkey — In a third day of government purges after a failed military coup, Turkey on Monday suspended 9,000 Interior Ministry officials, drawing U.S. and European Union warnings for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to keep the crackdown within the boundaries of democracy.
As the total number of military and civilians detained, arrested or suspended reached more than 15,000, Secretary of State John F. Kerry “firmly” urged Turkey to maintain its democratic institutions and the rule of law.
And even as Kerry promised support as Turkey pursues the perpetrators of the coup, he said, “We also caution against a reach that goes well beyond that.”
“A lot of people have been arrested and arrested very quickly,” Kerry said after talks with European Union officials in Brussels. “I think the level of vigilance and scrutiny is obviously going to be significant in the days ahead.”
The 28-nation European Union, membership in which Turkey has long sought, expressed alarm over the crackdown in progress after the coup attempt. The EU had condemned the military uprising within hours of its inception and voiced support for the democratically elected government.
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Mourners carry the coffin of a man who died during the coup attempt at a funeral ceremony at Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara, Turkey. Support from the highest ranks in the army helped keep President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in power.
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Women react during the funeral of a victim of the failed coup attempt in Istanbul, Turkey.
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A Turkish police officer restrains a man during an operation in front of the courthouse in Ankara. Turkey has detained more than 7,500 suspects it says were involved in the failed coup attempt.
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Turkish police patrol during an operation in front of the courthouse in Ankara.
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A boy is wrapped in a flag of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, in Taksim Square. Turkish authorities pressed on with a crackdown against suspects in the failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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Relatives of Turkish geologist Cuma Dag, 39, who was killed by helicopter gunfire Friday while protesting the coup attempt, mourn at his funeral in Ankara.
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Members of the public cheer as Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim speaks after a meeting with the Turkish Speaker of Parliament at the Turkish Grand Assembly in Ankara.
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Women try to take pictures of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan walking through the crowd of supporters, as security officers stand on a roof in Istanbul
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Turkish anti riot police officers escort Turkish soldiers who allegedly took part in a military coup in the Bakirkoy district in Istanbul
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People kick and beat a Turkish soldier that participated in the attempted coup, on Istanbul’s Bosporus Bridge.
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Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shout slogans and hold flags during a demonstration, against the failed Army coup attempt.
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A woman takes a picture of herself in front a damaged Turkish military APC that was attacked by protesters near the Turkish military headquarters in Ankara.
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Pro-Erdogan protesters wave Turkish flags and shout slogans as they demonstrate in Istanbul in support the government following a failed coup attempt.
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Turkish citizens wave their national flags as they protest against the military coup outside Turkey’s parliament near the Turkish military headquarters in Ankara, Turkey.
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A Turkish police officer embraces a man atop an empty tank that had been used in the coup attempt in Istanbul.
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People wave Turkish flags at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul, which was taken over by supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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A lawmaker addresses a nearly empty chamber of Turkey’s parliament in Ankara on July 16, 2016.
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Passengers whose flights were canceled because of the coup attempt wait at Ataturk airport in Istanbul on July 16, 2016.
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People waving Turkish flags take to the streets of Ankara in opposition to the military coup attempt.
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People sit next to a giant Turkish flag after they took over a military position at the Ataturk airport in Istanbul.
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People react after they take over a military position on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. (BULENT KILIC / AFP/Getty Images)
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Turkish people holding flags are driven in a car, backdropped by Istanbul’s iconic Bosphorus Bridge, Saturday, July 16, 2016.
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Turkish people celebrate as Turkish police officers, loyal to the government, stand atop tanks abandoned by Turkish army officers against a backdrop of Istanbul’s iconic Bosporus Bridge, Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Emrah Gurel / Associated Press)
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Women react after people took over military positions on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. (OZAN KOSE / AFP/Getty Images)
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People try to stop a Turkish police armored vehicle carrying Turkish soldiers that participated in the coup and surrendered, Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Emrah Gurel / Associated Press)
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Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge. (Gokhan Tan / Getty Images)
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Clothes and weapons beloging to surrendered soldiers involved in the coup attempt lie abandoned on the ground on Bosphorus Bridge.
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Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge. (Gokhan Tan / Getty Images)
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Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge. (Gokhan Tan / Getty Images)
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A police officer talks with soldiers involved in the coup attempt after they surrendered on Bosphorus bridge. (Gokhan Tan / Getty Images)
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Turkish anti-riot police officers use water cannon on people as a police bus carrying detained Turkish soldiers passes over the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul.
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People react after they took over military positions on the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul. (OZAN KOSE / AFP/Getty Images)
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In this image taken from video provided by Anadolu Agency, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the media Saturday, July 16, 2016 in Istanbul. Erdogan said that his government was working to crush a coup attempt after a night of explosions, air battles and gunfire that left dozens dead and at least 150 people wounded. (Anadolu Agency / Associated Press)
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Turkish people gather near a burned car in Istanbul, Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Emrah Gurel / Associated Press)
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People gather around a car which was crushed by a tank in Kizilay Square. (Burhan Ozbilici / Associated Press)
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A car burns during a firefight between Turkish army and Turkish police in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. (Cavit Ozgul / Associated Press)
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Turkish soldiers arrested by police sit in a police bus in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Selcuk Samiloglu / Associated Press)
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People take to the streets in Ankara, Turkey. (ADEM ALTAN / AFP/Getty Images)
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A Turkish soldier, arrested by civilians, is led to be handed to police officers in Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Selcuk Samiloglu / Associated Press)
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A man holds the flag of Turkey in front of a destroyed car, crashed by a military tank. (Burhan Ozbilici / Associated Press)
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Turkish soldiers, arrested by civilians, are handed to police officers in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. (Selcuk Samiloglu / Associated Press)
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Turkish people, protesting against the coup, in Istanbul early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Omer Kuscu / Associated Press)
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A Turkish soldier, arrested by civilians, is walked to be handed to police officers, in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. (Selcuk Samiloglu / Associated Press)
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People gather in Ankara’s main Kizilay Square to protest an attemped military coup. (Burhan Ozbilici / Associated Press)
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A Turkish soldier that participated in the coup and apprehended by civilians is escorted to be handed over to police, in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. (Selcuk Samiloglu / Associated Press)
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Supporters of Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, protest in Istanbul’s Taksim square, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Emrah Gurel / Associated Press)
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A woman lies on the ground in Ankara, Turkey. (Gokhan Sahin / Getty Images)
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People take over a tank near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge during clashes with military forces in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. (GURCAN OZTURK / AFP/Getty Images)
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People take over a tank near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge during clashes with military forces in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. (GURCAN OZTURK / AFP/Getty Images)
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People take over a tank near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge during clashes with military forces in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. (GURCAN OZTURK / AFP/Getty Images)
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People take over a tank near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge during clashes with military forces in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. (GURCAN OZTURK / AFP/Getty Images)
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People take to the streets near the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge during clashes with military forces in Istanbul on July 16, 2016. (GURCAN OZTURK / AFP/Getty Images)
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Turkish solders at Taksim square as people react. (OZAN KOSE / AFP/Getty Images)
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A tank is parked in the entrance to Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Ismail Coskun / Associated Press)
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People protesting against the coup wave a Turkish flag in Istanbul’s Taksim square, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Emrah Gurel / Associated Press)
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An injured man is attended to by police when Turkish soldiers opened fire to disperse the crowd in Istanbul’s Taksim square, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Emrah Gurel / Associated Press)
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Turkish army vehicles enter the Ataturk Airport on July 16, 2016 in Istanbul. (Defne Karadeniz / Getty Images)
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Turkish army’s tank enter the Ataturk Airport on July 16, 2016 in Istanbul. (Defne Karadeniz / Getty Images)
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A passenger walks with her luggage as Turkish army’s tanks enter the Ataturk Airport on July 16, 2016 in Istanbul. (Defne Karadeniz / Getty Images)
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A man lies in front of a tank in the entrance to Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Ismail Coskun / Associated Press)
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A man shot during clashes between Turkish solders and police near Taksim square in Istanbul on July 16, 2016 is treated by paramedics. (OZAN KOSE / AFP/Getty Images)
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People occupy a tank in Istanbul. (TOLGA BOZOGLU / EPA)
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Supporters of Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, gather, waving Turkish flags, in Istanbul’s Taksim square, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. (Emrah Gurel / AP)
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Turkish military control a road in Istanbul on July 16, 2016, after Turkish troops launched a coup. (GURCAN OZTURK / AFP/Getty Images)
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Supporters of president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan shout slogans at the Taksim Square in Istanbul. (SEDAT SUNA / EPA)
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People take to the streets in support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 16, 2016 in Antalya, Turkey.
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People take to the streets in support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 16, 2016 in Antalya, Turkey.
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People take to the streets in support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 16, 2016 in Antalya, Turkey. (Chris McGrath / Getty Images)
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People take to the streets in support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 16, 2016 in Antalya, Turkey. (Chris McGrath / Getty Images)
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Turkish army tanks move in the main streets in the early morning hours of July 16, 2016 in Ankara, Turkey. (Gokhan Sahin / Getty Images)
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A man approaches Turkish military with his hands up at the entrance to the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul. (BULENT KILIC / AFP/Getty Images)
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upporters of president of Turkey Recep Tayyup Erdogan shout slogans at the Taksim Square in Istanbul. (SEDAT SUNA / EPA)
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Supporters of president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan shout slogans at the Taksim Square in Istanbul. (SEDAT SUNA / EPA)
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A military tank at entrance to the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul. (BULENT KILIC / AFP/Getty Images)
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People carry a man shot during clashes with Turkish military at the entrance to the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul. (BULENT KILIC / AFP/Getty Images)
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A man performs CPR on a wounded man after clashes with Turkish military at the entrance to the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul. (BULENT KILIC / AFP/Getty Images)
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A supporter of Recep Tayyip Erdogan shout slogans at the Taksim Square in Istanbul.
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A military tank crushes a car in Istanbul.
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Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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People run along the main streets of Istanbul.
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Turkish army APCs move in the main streets on July 15, 2016 in Istanbul.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks on CNN Turk via an iPhone Facetime call.
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Tanks move into position as Turkish people attempt to stop them in Ankara.
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Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul’s Taksim Square.
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Supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan shout slogans at Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey.
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Turkish soldiers block Istanbul’s iconic Bosphorus Bridge as an apparent coup attempt unfolds.
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A group of Turkish internal security officers passes a soldier on the streets of Istanbul.
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Turkish soldiers take up positions along the road to the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, which was closed during an apparent coup attempt.
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Police officers stand guard near the Turkish military headquarters in Ankara, Turkey.
(Kutluhan Cucel / Getty Images) But EU High Representative Federica Mogherini said it is important that the rule of law prevail as Turkey pursues the coup plotters.
“We share concerns about what is happening in the country these hours,” Mogherini said Monday. “We need ... to have Turkey respect democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
Kerry echoed Mogherini’s comments and emphasized that Turkey, as a NATO member, has an obligation to respect democracy, and suggested alliance officials will be monitoring whether Ankara follows the rules.
“NATO will indeed measure very carefully what is happening” in Turkey, Kerry said.
A government official said a decision on whether to reintroduce the death penalty would be made by the Turkish parliament, where Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party has an absolute majority.
The coup attempt by a faction of the military began Friday night and was over in less than 24 hours. But even before security forces had cleared the final pockets of resistance Saturday, the Turkish government announced it would detain nearly 3,000 military officers and soldiers and 3,000 members of the judiciary on suspicion of aiding the coup — among them two members of the Constitutional Court, the nation’s highest.
Officials acknowledged that the lists had already been drawn up as part of a continuing investigation into the influence of Erdogan’s onetime political ally, Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who’s lived in self-exile in the U.S. since 1999. Erdogan blames the failed coup on Gulen and demanded his extradition from the United States. Gulen condemned the coup and denied any responsibility.
Gulen’s status has long been a sore point for both countries. Erdogan has labeled the mild-mannered cleric a terrorist and calls Gulen and his supporters the Fethullah Gulen Terror Organization. He seems bitterly determined to remove his erstwhile ally completely from Turkish politics, while the Obama administration maintains it will not consider extradition unless there’s convincing evidence that Gulen broke Turkish law.
On Monday, the government widened the roundup to include about 9,000 Interior Ministry employees, among them nearly 8,000 policemen. Those suspended include 77 provincial or district governors, officials who had been the central government’s key representatives in cities and provinces around the country, as well as the chiefs of police in some cities.
Security officials throughout the country were ordered to appear at police headquarters, where they had to turn in their weapons and police identifications.
The government announced that it had suspended 1,500 employees of the Finance Ministry and canceled all leave for government employees.
Although Gulen has attracted many security and judicial personnel to his movement, which preaches a moderate form of Islam, many of his supposed followers have been ousted in purges over the last two years, and it seems extraordinary that so many could still remain in positions of power.
The fact that so many suspected plotters and sympathizers could be identified, detained or suspended less than 48 hours after the failed coup also raised questions about the government’s claim that the uprising was entirely the work of Gulen’s supporters.
Also Monday, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told reporters that Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and the U.S. military were taken off-guard by the coup attempt.
“The secretary was surprised by the activities on Friday, as others in the U.S. government were,” he said. “And obviously, this was a cause for concern, and he was getting regular updates on what was happening.”
U.S. warplanes were not authorized Saturday by Turkish authorities to take off from Incirlik Air Base, which has been a vital launching point for airstrikes against Islamic State militants. The U.S. was again allowed to fly from Incirlik on Sunday, but commercial power to the base remained cut. The U.S. was using backup generators.
Gutman is a special correspondent. Times staff writers Tracy Wilkinson and W. J. Hennigan in Washington contributed to this report.
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UPDATES:
1:20 p.m.: This article was updated with staff reporting and more details.
This article was originally published at 9:35 a.m.
