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Turkey issues warrant for preacher Gulen over coup

On Thursday, a court in Istanbul court issued a decision on Gulen’s arrest in absentia on charges of the Turkish coup attempt.

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The government says Gulen, a former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who now lives in self-imposed exile in the USA state of Pennsylvania, masterminded the coup attempt by renegade officers in Turkey’s military, and wants him extradited to Turkey.

“If we request the extradition of a terrorist then you should fulfil that”, he said.

Robert Amsterdam, an worldwide lawyer hired by the Turkish government to investigate Gulen’s activities outside Turkey, said he was not involved in the extradition case but took issue with Weingarten’s statement that Gulen could not be extradited.

Turkey’s state-run news agency says a court has issued a formal arrest warrant for Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Washington previously asked for evidence that Mr Gulen was involved and said the extradition process would follow in due course.

Ozhan said “many documents have been sent” and “we are doing our homework in Turkey” where “prosecutors are forming a case”.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to cut off financial resources and businesses linked to the cleric.

The arrest warrant could lay the groundwork for such a formal request.

Jagland’s organisation monitors human rights compliance among the Council’s 47 members, including Turkey. “We approached with sincerity”, he said.

The United States has long experience in handling hard situations with Turkey, he said.

The ruling states that the so-called Fethullahist Terror Organization, a term coined by the government to reference to Gulen’s Hizmet movement, had infiltrated the Turkish Armed Forces in major cities like Istanbul and Ankara with the aim of taking over state institutions.

Over 60,000 people have been arrested or placed under investigation in the aftermath of the coup, according to the pro-Erdogan Turkish newspaper Sabah.

Gulen s relative was detained on July 23 in Erzurum, eastern Turkey where his 75-year-old uncle is said to have developed his deep convictions, close to his birthplace of Korucuk.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Turkish official told AFP warrants had been issued for the detention of 98 staff suspected of helping fast-track Gulen supporters into the military through favourable medical reports.

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Even more seriously, the Turkish government has raised the possibility of reinstating capital punishment for the coup plotters, a move which would at a stroke doom its European Union membership bid.

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