Nearly 3,000 soldiers arrested and 2,700 judges fired as Turkey begins punishing those linked to attempted coup. Turkey has begun a purge of soldiers and judiciary officials allegedly connected to an effort to topple the government, one day after a failed military coup attempt. By Saturday evening, the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had detained 2,839 military personnel, with number of arrests expected to rise, according to Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. Turkey's top judicial body, the HSYK, dismissed 2,745 judges on Saturday, according to Turkey's Anadolu news agency.