He is being blamed for orchestrating last month’s military coup attempt.
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The number of people suspended or dismissed from their work after the attempted coup in Turkey is more than 81,000, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Saturday, according to media reports. Fethullah Gulen has denied any role in the coup has shaken the power.
His comments come after Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters that he had been receiving “positive signals” from the USA over the Gulen extradition.
Yildirim said Gulen’s organization in Turkey may be comprised of over 5000 people who have their own networks for keeping in touch with each other.
Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency is reporting that Turkish officials have prepared an official request for the U.S.to arrest Muslim cleric Fetullah Gulen over his links to the coup.
The operations are part of the government’s investigation into the movement led by US -based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen.
“The main element improving our relations with the U.S.is the extradition of Gulen, where there is no room for negotiation”, he said.
Ankara has repeatedly said the July 15 coup attempt was organized by followers of Gulen and his FETO group. A U.S. Department of Justice team is due in Turkey this month.
With tensions rising with the West, Turkey has sought to normalise relations with Russia, sparking concerns Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin might use their detente to pressure Washington and the European Union.
Erdogan has said the purge is needed to wipe out what he calls the “virus” of Gulen from Turkish institutions.
A total of 136 suspects were detained Monday in Turkey after an arrest order for 173 people was issued, a judicial source said.
In a separate development, the former chief prosecutor for the eastern region of Erzurum was detained late Sunday while trying to cross into Syria.
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The Turkish PM said the USA attitude over the coup attempt had a positive shift.
