Religious leader Fethullah Gulen has died at the age of 83
Gulen was an ally of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan but they differed and he was held accountable for the 2016 coup attempt
U.S.-based religious leader Fethullah Gulen, who created a powerful Islamist movement in Turkey and elsewhere, but spent his recent years accused of plotting a coup attempt against Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan, has died. He was 83 years old.
Herkul, the website that publishes Gulen’s sermon, said on its X-web account that Gulen died on Sunday evening at an American hospital where he was receiving treatment.
Gulen served as Erdogan’s ally but they disagreed, and Erdogan held him accountable for a 2016 coup attempt in which rogue soldiers in high positions led fighter jets, tanks and helicopters.
About 250 people were killed in an effort to seize power. Gulen, who had been living in exile in the United States since 1999, denied involvement in the attack but his group was described as a terrorist group by Turkey.
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