A woman checks her cell phone as she passes outside Marmara University Theological School mosque in Istanbul, Friday, Aug. 19, 2016.
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A US delegation consisting of Justice and State Department officials will fly to Turkey to investigate accusations that the exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen is responsible for orchestrating an attempted military coup in the country, according to a report by Reuters.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has demanded that the USA extradite Gulen, a 75-year-old Muslim scholar who lives in rural Pennsylvania, after a failed coup attempt in July by elements of the Turkish military. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is also scheduled to visit next week.
“We want the process to be accelerated”, he said.
The cleric has denied involvement in the July 15 coup that killed more than 270 people. What are we waiting for? “Our request is clear: that he be temporarily detained and then returned”.
Citing classified documents, Spiegel said Turkey’s secret service had asked Germany’s foreign intelligence agency (BND) for help in rounding up Gulen supporters in Germany. Some 35,000 people have been detained for questioning and more than 17,000 of them have been formally arrested to face trial, including soldiers, police, judges and journalists.
Authorities in Turkey have arrested or suspended tens of thousands of police, troops, officials, judges and civil servants due to their alleged links to Gulen’s movement.
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Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Saturday Ankara would put its domestic and external intelligence operations under an umbrella structure to allow better coordination and help prevent another coup attempt.
