The person accused of ‘ordering a coup’ in Türkiye

Cleric Fethullah Gulen, 75 years old, was once a close ally of President Erdogan.

The coup carried out by a group of Turkish soldiers on the evening of July 15 in the capital Ankara and the largest city Istanbul broke out suddenly, but failed quickly.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused a group of officers from the General Staff of carrying out a coup following `orders` from cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, 75 years old, has lived in exile in the US since 1999 after being convicted of treason by the Ankara government.

The Gulen movement advocates blending the mystery of tantric Islam (Sufi) and human harmony to spread Islam in many countries around the world.

According to AFP, Mr. Gulen is President Erdogan’s biggest political opponent, although the two were once close allies.

During that period, the Gulen movement attracted the support of many people, including high-ranking officials in the Turkish police and judiciary.

The `shadow rivalry` between the two men peaked in 2013, when judicial officials, believed to be close to Mr. Gulen, accused people close to Mr. Erdogan and even Mr. Erdogan’s son of corruption.

Mr. Erdogan counterattacked by purging hundreds of military officers, police, and even senior commanders.

According to the Anatolia news agency, about 1,800 people related to Mr. Gulen have been arrested in the crackdown over the past two years, including 750 police officers and 80 soldiers.

Turkish officials accused cleric Gulen of plotting to establish a `state within a state`, but Mr. Gulen denied and said he only wanted democratic reform and dialogue between religions.

The Alliance for Shared Values Organization yesterday also issued a statement declaring that Mr. Gulen and his movement had `demonstrated their commitment to ensuring democracy and peace over the past 40 years.`

Mr. Gulen, who lives in a small town in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, USA, also condemned the coup in `the strongest terms.`

Mr. Gulen said that he, like many Turkish people, had experienced many coups and felt `insulted` by his alleged involvement.

See more: Two reasons prompted the Turkish military to stage a coup