Fethullah Gulen, who is based in the USA, has been blamed for organising the attempted military coup.
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“We express our complete support and solidarity with President Erdogan, the democratically elected government of Turkey, and the democratic institutions of Turkey”, he added.
Fethullah Gulen told reporters at his Pennsylvania compound he knows only a “minute fraction” of his legions of sympathizers in Turkey, so he can not speak to their “potential involvement” in the attempted coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Cavusoglu said Turkish security forces loyal to Erdogan’s government imposed the lockdown at the Incirlik Air Base – a facility where about 1,500 USA soldiers also are based for operations against IS militants in neighboring Iraq and Syria.
From his compound in the town of Saylorsburg in the Poconos, the cleric promotes a philosophy that blends a mystical form of Islam with advocacy of democracy, education, science and interfaith dialogue.
Guclu is hopeful the situation could change following the coup attempt.
US officials were working with Turkish officials to resume air operations quickly, the Pentagon said. Addressing Washington, he requested the handover of Gulen and said, “If we are strategic partners, then you should bring about our request”.
Nobody associated with the USA schools has been charged with wrongdoing.
Brigadier air force general Bekir Ercan Van was detained along with over a dozen lower ranking officers on Saturday at the Incirlik air force base in Turkey’s southern Adana province, newspapers including the Hurriyet daily said.
Suleyman Soylu, Turkey’s labor minister, went further than Erdogan, suggesting the USA was behind the coup.
In their second call in as many days, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavosoglu told Kerry the government was in control of state institutions.
The United States urged Turkey on Saturday to exercise restraint after a failed military coup sparked a government crackdown, and warned its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally that public suggestions of a USA role in the plot were “utterly false” and harmful to relations.
But Gulen “categorically” denied any involvement in the plot, calling the accusation “insulting”.
Earlier, on a visit to Luxembourg, Kerry told reporters the US would entertain an extradition request for Gulen if the Turks provided evidence of wrongdoing.
Gulen’s neighbors, Penny and Lester, who did not give their last names, say they are surprised the USA government is not helping Turkey in its extradition bid.
“We fully anticipate that there will be questions raised about Mr. Gulen”, Kerry told reporters. “And obviously we would invite the government of Turkey, as we always do, to present us with any legitimate evidence that withstands scrutiny”.
Obama noted the United States needed continued cooperation from Turkey in the fight against terrorism. His movement, called Hizmet, which means “service”, includes think tanks, various media enterprises and schools in many countries, including charter schools in the U.S. Gulen and Erdogan only became estranged in recent years.
While condemning the coup bid, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also said the plotters had to be dealt with “under the rule of law”.
Policemen stand on a military vehicle after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey July 16, 2016.
Turkey also detained a senior air force general and other officers accused of backing the failed coup at a key air base used by United States forces for raids in Syria.
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim branded Gulen a “gang leader” during a press conference in Ankara, while deputy premier Nurettin Canikli said the government would step up its hunt for the cleric’s followers. In raids across Turkey on Saturday, senior generals were among more than 2,800 military personnel arrested.
The coup failed after appearing not to have been backed by the most senior ranks of the military. Turkey’s main opposition parties, too, condemned the attempted overthrow of the government.
At least 265 people were killed. He said 2,839 plotters were detained.
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“If you’re planning a coup, you don’t exactly advertise to your partners in NATO”, Kerry said.
