Turkey made the request on charges Gulen 'ordered and commanded' the July coup attempt
ADVERTISEMENTTurkey has asked Washington to arrest US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen for allegedly ordering and commanding the July coup attempt, state media reported on Tuesday.
It’s the first formal request for the US to arrest Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania and has denied any involvement in the failed putsch.
Turkey formally requests U.S. arrest of cleric Gulen over coup plot – NTV https://t.co/0jpi41TybIpic.twitter.com/9aUfq8RLMg
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) September 13, 2016
Turkish officials have been informally asking for his extradition for weeks.
US Vice President Joe Biden said last month he understood the “intense feeling” in Turkey over Gulen.
But he told President Erdogan the US needed to meet its own legal standards on the case.
Biden reassures Erdogan but Turkey-US tensions persist over Gulen https://t.co/NoEzXRfh50pic.twitter.com/2EgnlM3y19
— euronews (@euronews) August 24, 2016
Late on July 15 in Ankara and Istanbul, rogue soldiers used tanks and fighter jets to bomb parliament and control bridges in a bid to seize power, but were defeated by pro-government supporters. More than 270 people were killed in the uprising.
Turkey has blamed members of Gulen’s religious movement for the violent coup attempt, and tens of thousands of suspected Gulen supporters have been dismissed from jobs in the judiciary, armed services or media, with many imprisoned.
The US said last month it had received a formal extradition request for Gulen from Ankara, but said at the time it did not relate to the July coup attempt, rather to issues for which he was being sought by authorities in Ankara.
If Gulen led coup attempt, why does Turkey extradition request address only earlier conduct? https://t.co/neop385KQPpic.twitter.com/kVQKXs4Rer
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) August 25, 2016
With agencies