Fethullah Gulen, the US-based Muslim cleric accused by Ankara of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016, has passed away in the United States at the age of 83, according to his movement and the Turkish government on Monday.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated at a press conference, “Our intelligence sources confirm the death of the leader of the FETO organisation,” using Turkey’s term for Gulen’s influential Hizmet movement consisting of schools, businesses, and charities.
According to Turkey’s TRT public television, the preacher, who had been living in Pennsylvania for 25 years and was stripped of his Turkish nationality in 2017, passed away in a hospital overnight.
The news was first shared on Gulen’s website, X, by Herkul, which is banned in Turkey, stating that he passed away on “October 20.”
“The honourable Fethullah Gülen, who dedicated his life to serving Islam and humanity, passed away today,” the post said, promising to provide details of his funeral.
Gulen relocated to the United States in 1999, reportedly for health reasons. From there, he led Hizmet, an organisation with an extensive network of public schools worldwide.
However, the Turkish authorities have long labelled the organisation as FETO, the Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO) and have blacklisted it.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc stated that Turkey’s efforts against the movement would persist despite Gulen’s passing.
Once an ally who assisted Erdogan in the early 2000s when he became prime minister, Gulen fell out of favour after a 2013 corruption scandal implicated the Turkish premier’s inner circle. Erdogan held Gulen responsible and subsequently began accusing him of terror connections, condemning his Hizmet movement as the “FETO terrorist organisation.”
The situation deteriorated in 2016 when Erdogan accused him of masterminding a failed coup, leading to a widespread crackdown.
During that purge, approximately 700,000 individuals were prosecuted, and around 3,000 Gulen supporters were sentenced to life imprisonment for their alleged involvement in the coup.
Another 125,000 people were dismissed from public institutions, including 24,000 soldiers and numerous judges, with the authorities closing down private educational establishments, media outlets, and publishing houses.
Turkey continues to regularly apprehend Gulen supporters domestically and requests their extradition from countries where his network is active.
According to Turkish security sources cited by the private NTV broadcaster, it is anticipated that very few individuals will attend Gulen’s funeral, and his burial site in the US will likely remain undisclosed.