Fethullah Gulen, the Turkish cleric accused of masterminding a bloody attempted coup in 2016, has died aged 83, the Turkish foreign minister has confirmed.
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| Fethullah Gulen |
The cleric, who had been living in self-imposed exile in the US, died after being admitted to a Pennsylvania hospital, according to reports in Turkish media.
Sometimes described as Turkey's second most powerful man, Gulen was the spiritual leader of the Gulen movement, a powerful Islamic community with followers in Turkey and worldwide.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed the Gulen movement for the 2016 attempted coup, accusations Gulen denied.
Speaking at a press conference in Ankara, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said intelligence sources had confirmed Gulen's death, describing him as the leader of a "dark organisation".
Gulen rose to prominence by arguing that young people in Turkey had lost their way and education was the best response.
He became known for promoting a tolerant Islam which emphasised altruism, modesty and hard work.
His movement - known in Turkey as Hizmet or "service" - first gained a foothold running schools, and it went on to open educational institutions across Turkey and around the world.
As the movement grew, followers expanded into business and began taking jobs inside the government and military.
Hizmet was once an ally of Erdogan's, but the Turkish president turned on the movement in 2013, vowing to shut down hundreds of its schools and rid the government of Gulenists, who he called a "state within a state".
Gulen-allied police officers were accused of carrying out raids against Erdogan's allies, and the Turkish government formally declared Hizmet a terrorist organisation in May 2016.
source: bbc