Turkey has removed more than 4,000 judges, prosecutors after coup, minister says

Supporters of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan wave national flags as they wait for his arrival at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, April 17, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey has removed more than 4,000 judges and prosecutors on suspicion of links to last year's failed coup, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Friday.

In a speech in Ankara, Bozdag said the judiciary had been cleared of supporters of the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for the July 15 attempted putsch.