Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday declared a three-month state of emergency, vowing to hunt down the "terrorist" group behind last week's bloody coup attempt.

He has accused followers of his arch-enemy, US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, of being behind the coup, which has led to a wave of some 50,000 arrests and sackings of suspected conspirators.

The state of emergency was needed "in order to remove swiftly all the elements of the terrorist organisation involved in the coup attempt," Erdogan said at the presidential palace in Ankara.

Although the special measure vastly increases state security powers, Erdogan vowed there would be "no compromise on democracy".

The announcement followed long meetings of Turkey's national security council and cabinet chaired by Erdogan at the presidential palace.

A state of emergency gives the government extra powers to restrict freedom of movement, said an official, adding that it would not restrict financial or commercial activities as "international law sets limits of restrictions".

Turkey in 2002 lifted its last state of emergency, which had been imposed in provinces in the southeast for the fight against Kurdish militants in 1987.

Article 120 of the constitution allows a state of emergency to be imposed "at a time of serious deterioration of public order because of acts of violence."

- 'Lesson in democracy' -

Global concern has grown as Turkish authorities have arrested or fired troops, police, judges, teachers and other civil servants in the aftermath of Friday's failed bid to seize power by rebel troops.

Earlier the Turkish leader lashed out at critics of the sweeping purge, telling France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault -- who had warned Erdogan not to use the failed coup as a "blank cheque" to silence his opponents -- to "mind his own business".

"Does he have the authority to make these declarations about my person? No, he does not. If he wants a lesson in democracy, he can very easily get a lesson in democracy from us," Erdogan said on al-Jazeera.

Earlier Wednesday US Secretary of State John Kerry, flanked by allied foreign ministers, said that while "we condemn this coup", it was important that the response to it "fully respects that democracy that we are supporting".

And German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, in more direct comments, said that in Turkey "nearly every day we are seeing new measures that flout the rule of law and that disregard the principle of proportionality".

Erdogan in the Al-Jazeera interview insisted that the arrests and suspensions had been carried out "within the law", adding that "of course that does not mean we have come to the end of it".

- 'Killed or kidnapped' -

Erdogan was in the Aegean resort of Marmaris when the coup struck. Narrowly escaping the rebel soldiers, he flew to Istanbul where he had stayed since, appearing before huge crowds of flag-waving supporters several nights in a row.

Turkish authorities have launched an operation to find 21 commandos who are suspected of the attack on Erdogan's hotel.

Erdogan told CNN this week his life had been in grave danger. "If I stayed (in Marmaris) 10, 15 minutes more, I would either have been killed or kidnapped and taken away by them," he said.

The putsch left more than 300 dead and caused scenes of devastation, especially in Ankara where fighter jets and attack helicopters turned parts of parliament and the police headquarters to rubble.

The government says 312 people were killed in the coup, including 145 civilians, 60 police, three soldiers and 104 plotters.

Erdogan admitted there had been "intelligence failures," saying he had learnt about the coup from his brother-in-law.

The government has since cracked down hard on alleged rebel soldiers, formally arresting 99 of 118 detained generals and admirals, and also placing in custody thousands of troops, with some later seen bruised and wounded.

- 'Superior mind' -

Ankara says the coup was masterminded by Gulen and the massive crackdown appears to be targeting individuals suspected of any connection to Erdogan's former-ally-turned-foe.

Turkey has stepped up pressure on Washington to extradite him, sending several "dossiers" it says are packed with evidence about his alleged involvement.

In their first telephone conversation since the attempted overthrow, President Barack Obama pledged US assistance to Erdogan for the investigation into the putsch, which has threatened to once again raise tensions between the uneasy NATO allies.

Gulen issued a statement on Tuesday urging Washington to reject the extradition call and dismissed as "ridiculous" the claim he was behind the botched coup.

The 75-year-old reclusive cleric lives in Pennsylvania but retains vast interests in Turkey ranging from media to finance to schools and wields influence in various arms of the state, including the judiciary and police.

Erdogan, asked if other countries could have been involved in the coup, told Al-Jazeera: "There could be."

"The Gulen organisation has another superior mind, if you will, and the time will come when those connections will be deciphered."

Turkey's failed coup: what we know
Ankara (AFP) July 20, 2016 - Some 50,000 people in Turkey have been either detained or sacked in the wake of last weekend's failed bid to topple President Recep Erdogan.

Here is what we know about the widening purge and the violent events that prompted it.

- Who's targeted in wake of coup? -

About 9,300 people have been detained, including 118 generals and admirals accused of treason for allegedly masterminding the plot as well as soldiers, police and judges.

The number of state education ministry personnel suspended has risen to nearly 22,000, according to reports Wednesday.

Also, 21,000 people working in private education will have their licences removed and banned from teaching in the future. Even the sports ministry has dismissed 245 personnel.

Turkey's higher education council also banned academics from work trips abroad and urged those overseas to return home quickly.

Licences for several radio and television stations were cancelled because the broadcasters are suspected of having links to an exiled Islamic cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who stands accused of orchestrating the coup.

Turkey's education board also demanded the resignation of almost 1,600 deans from private and state universities.

- Will plotters be executed? -

Turkey fully abolished the death penalty in 2004 and no executions have taken place in the country since 1984.

This week Erdogan suggested capital punishment could be reinstated if parliament approved such a move.

But this would rule out any chance Turkey has of joining the EU and could see it thrown out of the Council of Europe.

- How did the coup attempt unfold? -

Soldiers shut down two of the bridges spanning the Bosphorus in Istanbul at around 7:30 pm (1630 GMT) on Friday and shortly after, military jets were heard flying low in the capital Ankara.

Some four hours later, a group within the military announced it had seized control of Turkey and that the country was now under martial law. Troops appeared on the streets of Istanbul and Ankara.

Erdogan, addressing the nation via a FaceTime call to the CNN Turk television channel, urged people to take to the streets and resist the coup, which they did in their thousands.

Soldiers in Istanbul opened fire on protesters and fighting erupted in Ankara, with planes bombing the parliament building.

Erdogan flew into Istanbul early Saturday where he was greeted by a sea of supporters, and shortly after the government announced it had regained control and that the coup had failed.

More than 300 people were killed, according to official figures, including over 100 putschists.

The president, who chaired a security council meeting in Ankara on Wednesday, said he had come within 15 minutes of being killed or captured by the putschists.

In an indication that the armed forces were back under the president's full control, Turkey launched military strikes against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq late Tuesday.

- Who was behind the coup bid? -

It remains unclear who exactly was behind the attempted power grab. The coup was declared by a group within the army calling itself the Council for Peace in the Homeland, saying it was intervening "to ensure and restore constitutional order, democracy, human rights and freedoms".

Erdogan has furiously pointed blame at his arch-foe Gulen, the US-based Islamic preacher whose Hizmet movement has a powerful presence in Turkish society, including the media, police and judiciary.

Gulen has categorically denied any involvement in the plot and has suggested it could have been staged by Erdogan himself to cement his grip on power, a theory that has been raised by other critics and some analysts, but dismissed as "nonsensical" by the president's spokesman.

- How has the world reacted? -

World powers rallied behind Erdogan on the night of the coup attempt, with key strategic partners including the United States and European Union offering support for Turkey's elected authorities.

On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama said he was "willing to provide appropriate assistance to Turkish authorities investigating the attempted coup," according to his spokesman, Josh Earnest.

Turkey has asked the US to extradite Gulen. Earnest said whether this happened depended on "a legal process," and not on Obama himself.

But there has been international concern over the mass arrests with with Germany on Wednesday saying, "every day we are seeing new measures that flout the rule of law and that disregard the principle of proportionality."

On Wednesday, ratings agency S&P indicated Turkey was now a slightly riskier place to invest.

"Polarisation of Turkey's political landscape" and "heightened unpredictability" led the agency to downgrade the country's sovereign credit rating by a notch.

The purges have also prompted anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks to bring forward the release some 300,000 emails related to Erdogan's AKP party.

Turkey immediately blocked access to the site.