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Turkey Issues a Warrant for Fethullah Gulen, Cleric Accused in Coup Turkey Issues a Warrant for Fethullah Gulen, Cleric Accused in Coup
(about 5 hours later)
ISTANBUL — Turkey issued an arrest warrant on Thursday for Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric based in the United States, who was accused last month of orchestrating a failed coup that aimed to topple the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. ISTANBUL — Turkey issued an arrest warrant on Thursday for Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric based in the United States, who was accused last month of orchestrating a failed coup against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The warrant issued by an Istanbul court said Mr. Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, ordered the July 15 coup attempt that resulted in the death of more than 250 people, the state-run news agency, Anadolu, reported. The warrant issued by an Istanbul court said Mr. Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, ordered the July 15 coup attempt that resulted in the deaths of more than 250 people, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The order for Mr. Gulen’s arrest is a step toward a formal extradition request to the United States, which Turkish officials say will be submitted following the conclusion of an investigation into the botched coup. Ankara has already sent a dossier of evidence to the White House that alleges Mr. Gulen plotted the coup. Mr. Gulen has denied those charges. The order for Mr. Gulen’s arrest is a step toward a formal extradition request to the United States, which Turkish officials say will be submitted after an investigation into the botched coup. Ankara has already sent evidence to the White House that alleges Mr. Gulen plotted the coup. Mr. Gulen has denied those charges.
Mr. Erdogan has been calling for the extradition since 2013, when he accused Mr. Gulen’s followers, who held influential positions in the judiciary, of being behind a corruption inquiry that implicated members of his inner circle. Mr. Erdogan has been calling for the extradition since 2013, when he accused Mr. Gulen’s followers, who held positions in the judiciary, of orchestrating a corruption inquiry that implicated Mr. Erdogan’s inner circle.
An arrest warrant was previously issued in Turkey for Mr. Gulen in 2014, when he was accused of directing “an armed terrorist organization” that illegally tapped into the conversations of the prime minister and president. An arrest warrant for Mr. Gulen was issued in Turkey in 2014, accusing him of directing “an armed terrorist organization” that illegally tapped the conversations of the prime minister and president.
Mr. Gulen’s organization, which runs an influential network of schools and charities in Turkey and the United States, has been labeled a terrorist organization by the Turkish government. Since the coup attempt, the Turkish government has purged tens of thousands of people in the police, judiciary, military and education sectors whom it suspected of links to Mr. Gulen’s movement, which is regarded by Turkey as a terrorist organization. More than 25,000 people have been detained.
After the coup attempt, the Turkish government has purged tens of thousands of people in the police, judiciary, military and education sectors whom it suspected of being affiliated to the movement. More than 25,000 people have been detained. Speaking in Ankara on Thursday, Mr. Erdogan said he vowed to “cut off this bloody organization’s business connections and revenue sources.”
Speaking to a group of businessmen in Ankara on Thursday, Mr. Erdogan said the detentions were just “the tip of the iceberg.” Late on Thursday, Mr. Gulen denounced the arrest warrant in a statement, saying that “the Turkish court system is without judicial independence, so this warrant is yet another example of President Erdogan’s drive for authoritarianism and away from democracy.”
He added: “Everybody needs to accept that these people are murderers because innocents’ blood is on their hand.” The warrant was issued as a multiparty delegation of Turkish lawmakers, visiting with The New York Times editorial board on Thursday, said relations with the United States would suffer if Mr. Gulen was not extradited.
Mr. Erdogan also vowed to pursue the business side of the Gulen organization. “That’s where they are perhaps the most powerful,” he said. “No project can succeed without financing. We are determined to cut off this bloody organization’s business connections and revenue sources.”