Turkey has detained over 6,000 people over the coup plot aimed at ousting the government and the number will rise, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Sunday.
"Now the clean-up operations are continuing. We have around 6,000 people detained. The number will increase above 6,000," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Anadolu news agency.

Turkish authorities are rounding up senior military personnel and judges in a ruthless crackdown Sunday, after thousands massed in the streets nationwide overnight to denounce a coup aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
World leaders including US President Barack Obama have strongly condemned the attempted putsch but also urged turkey to respect the "rule of law" in its aftermath, especially after pictures emerged showing the rough treatment of some coup plotters when arrested.
According to the government, 161 civilians and regular troops lost their lives when a group within the army sought to overthrow the authorities by seizing key strategic points in Istanbul and Ankara.
Over 100 coup plotters were also killed, the military has said.
The botched coup bid marked the biggest challenge to Erdogan's rule in 13 years as prime minister and now president. But he successfully mobilised supporters into the streets to face down the plotters.
Thousands responded late Saturday to a new call by the president to pour into the squares to celebrate the "victory of democracy" with mass rallies of flag-waving Turks reported in cities including Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir.
Europe Minister Omer Celik urged people to stay on the streets, writing on Twitter that the "vigil for democracy" continues.

 'Respect rule of law'

The Turkish authorities have made clear they will show no mercy in the wake of the coup, accusing the plotters of acting on behalf of Erdogan's arch enemy, the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen.
The government has already said that almost 3,000 soldiers had been detained on suspicion of involvement in the putsch which raised fears of chaos in the strategic NATO member state of almost 80 million.
Turkish television has shown images of captured coup plotters forced to lie face down on the tarmac after arrest while AFP photographers have seen suspects roughly led away pursued by angry mobs.
NTV television said that 34 generals of various grades had been detained so far. They include senior figures like Erdal Ozturk, commander of the third army and the commander of the Malatya-based second army, Adem Huduti.
In an operation early Sunday, authorities detained the commander of the garrison in the western town of Denizli, Ozhan Ozbakir, along with 51 other soldiers, according to the state-run Anatolia news agency.
turkey also detained a senior air force general and other officers accused of backing the failed coup at a key air base used by US forces for raids in Syria.
Brigadier air force general Bekir Ercan Van was detained along with over a dozen lower ranking officers on Saturday at the Incirlik air force base in turkey's southern Adana province, newspapers including the Hurriyet daily said.
The base has become a key hub for US forces after turkey last year agreed to allow the United States to use Incirlik to carry out lethal raids against jihadists in Syria.
Former chief of staff Ilker Basbug told Dogan news agency that turkey should make a distinction between the coup planners and young soldiers "of 20 years old who may have been mistaken".
The crackdown is however not restricted to the military and Anadolu said that prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for a total of 2,745 judges and prosecutors across turkey.
The entire investigation is being led by Ankara prosecutors and those arrested are suspected of belonging to Gulen's group, which turkey dubs the "Fethullahci Terror Organisation (FETO)".
Gulen's supporters say their group which they call Hizmet (Service) is entirely peaceful.
US President Barack Obama has warned turkey there is a "vital need" for all parties to "act within the rule of law" in the aftermath of the coup.

Failed turkey coup 'not blank cheque': French FM

 French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault warned Erdogan on Sunday against using his country's failed coup as a "blank cheque" to silence his opponents.
"We want the rule of law to work properly in turkey," Ayrault told France 3 television, warning Turkish authorities against "purges".

Putin hopes for speedy return to stability

 Russian President Vladimir Putin called his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday, describing the attempted coup as unacceptable and voicing hope for a speedy return to stability.
Putin stressed the "categorical unacceptability in the life of a state of anti-constitutional acts and violence" and passed on "wishes for a speedy restoration of strong constitutional order and stability in turkey," the Kremlin said in a statement.
Putin also passed on his condolences over the "numerous deaths" during the coup during which 161 troops and civilians were killed as well as more than 100 coup plotters, according to the Turkish government and the military.
The leaders also confirmed plans for a personal meeting "in the nearest future," the Kremlin said.
The two earlier discussed a meeting in a phone call in late June after Erdogan apologised to Putin for his forces downing a Russian fighter jet on the Syrian border last year.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on July 1 after meeting his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that Erdogan could fly to Sochi in August for a face-to-face meeting with Putin.
The Russian leader also urged Erdogan to guarantee the safety of Russian tourists visiting turkey, with Erdogan saying that "all necessary steps will be taken," the Kremlin said.
Moscow responded to Erdogan's apology over the downed Russian plane by lifting a ban on package tour flights to turkey, which are crucial to the country's tourism industry.

Related Story