Coup attempt puts spotlight on Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in US
US asks Turkey for evidence of cleric’s involvement as Erdogan warns his allies
In one of his first video messages since members of the Turkish army staged a coup, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that “Turkey is not a country than can be run from Pennsylvania”, giving the first hints of who he thought may be behind the attempted coup.
The Muslim cleric, who lives in self-imposed exile in the Pocono Mountains of the US state of Pennsylvania, denied any role, and condemned the coup attempt “in the strongest terms”.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said yesterday any country that stands by Gulen will not be a friend of Turkey and will be considered at war with it.
Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday that the US had not received a request to extradite the cleric, and invited Turkey to present evidence against him. The government accuses Gulen of trying to build a “parallel structure” within the judiciary, education system, media and military as a way to overthrow the state, a charge the cleric denies.
Wide following
Gulen has a wide following in his native country, where he enjoys support among the police and judiciary.
Gulen, 75, was once a close ally of Erdogan but the two fell out in recent years as Erdogan became suspicious of Gulen’s movement, Hizmet, and its powerful presence in Turkish society, including the media, police and judiciary.
The preacher moved to the United States in 1999, before he was charged with treason in his native country. He has since led a secluded life in Pennsylvania, declining interviews and rarely making public appearances.
Gulen’s followers run a loosely affiliated global network of charitable foundations, professional associations, businesses and other projects, including about 150 taxpayer-funded charter schools throughout the US. But details about Gulen’s personal life and his ties to those ventures have long been murky, giving rise to suspicions about his motives.
Turkish authorities have accused the preacher of seeking to establish “a state within a state” in Turkey, but Hizmet officials insist that Gulen is committed to democratic reform and interfaith dialogue.