US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, branded a terrorist by Ankara, has reportedly died in hospital
Exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who was accused by Ankara of masterminding the 2016 coup attempt in his homeland, has reportedly died in the US.
The Pennsylvania-based Islamic scholar died in hospital on Sunday evening after a lengthy illness, the Herkul news website, which is associated with his movement, reported. Gulen was 83 years old.
In July 2016, a faction of the Turkish military attempted to depose the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, using combat aircraft and other heavy weapons to seize control of key locations in the country. Around 300 people were killed in the violence.
Following the attempted coup, the Turkish government relentlessly purged suspected Gulen loyalists, with thousands of people facing criminal charges. Ankara also designated Gulen’s Hizmet movement as the ‘Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETO)’.
The…