Turkey has detained a nephew of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen after last week’s failed coup, state-run media reported on Saturday, the first time one of his relatives has been apprehended in the current crackdown.
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Turkey alleges that the coup attempt by some military units was conceived by Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since the late 1990s. Among possible charges that could be brought against him is membership of a terrorist organisation, the agency said.
President Barack Obama says there is a legal process for extradition and has encouraged Turkey to present whatever evidence it has against Gulen.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched a widespread crackdown following the attempted coup, arresting thousands of service personnel and sacking or suspending thousands of government officials, school teachers and university heads.
Turkey has also captured a key aide to Gulen, a presidency official said.
It is expected to be ratified by parliament, where Erdogan’s AKP party holds the majority.
ISTANBUL (AP) In a new tactic against suspected coup plotters, Turkey on Saturday announced it had seized more than 2,250 social, educational or health care institutions and facilities that it claims pose a threat to national security. In Istanbul, Turkey’s commercial capital, authorities have allowed people to travel for free on the metro system so they can more easily attend the rallies.
The night of violence left 24 rebel soldiers dead and killed 179 civilians, 62 police and five soldiers who opposed them and have been hailed as “martyrs”.
Some Turks, possibly influenced by traditional mistrust of US policy in the region, have speculated that the United States is protecting Gulen and knew about the plot to overthrow the Turkish government.
Cavusoglu said the link between soldiers involved in the failed coup and Gulen’s extensive network of followers was “very clear”, adding that Turkey would do all it could “politically and legally” to secure his extradition.
Aside from the detentions, more than 50,000 other civil servants, down to the family and sports ministries, have been sacked or suspended – in a purge whose speed and scale suggested to many observers that their names were on pre-existing lists.
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The rapid pace of arrests since the coup attempt has anxious many of Turkey’s Western allies, who say they see the country going down an increasingly authoritarian road. Celik told a foreign media briefing.
