Turkey coup arrests hit 6,000 as Erdogan roots out 'virus'

 Thousands have attended funerals for a number of those killed during the coup attempt

Turkey has arrested 6,000 people after a failed coup, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowing to purge state bodies of the "virus" that caused the revolt.

At a funeral for one of the 265 victims, Mr Erdogan repeated an accusation that US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the plot.
Mr Gulen strongly denies any involvement.
High-ranking military officers are among those held.
Turkish media said a warrant had been issued for one of Mr Erdogan's top military aides, Colonel Ali Yazici.

Some 265 people died in clashes as the coup failed, many them civilians and police loyal to the government.
"We will continue to cleanse the virus from all state institutions, because this virus has spread. Unfortunately like a cancer, this virus has enveloped the state," Mr Erdogan told mourners at the Fatih mosque in Istanbul.
He had earlier suggested parliament might consider a proposal to restore the death penalty.

Tens of thousands of Turks partied into the small hours of Sunday on the main squares of key cities to celebrate the failure of the coup.
BBC