Fethullah Gülen, Turkish Muslim cleric and Erdogan's foe, dies in the US
He was 83 years old. The Turkish government said he was "the leader of a dark organization." The cause of death was not detailed.
Fethullah Gulen is on TIME magazine's list of the "100 most influential people in the world in 2013."
Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, an enemy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, died at the age of 83 in the United States, where he had been in exile for 25 years. The information was confirmed by close sources.
Meanwhile, the Turkish government spoke out about Gülen's death and described him as "the leader of a dark organization."
"Our nation's determination in the fight against terrorism will continue," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said.
Herkul, an organization aligned with Gülen's ideas and banned in Turkey, was the first to announce the cleric's passing on X.
Herkul posted, "Rev. Fethullah Gülen, who spent every instant of his life serving the blessed religion of Islam and humanity, left today [Oct. 20] to the horizons of his soul." The post added said that detailed information on the burial procedure would be provided soon.
Gülen led a vast network of schools spanning around the world. He had been living in Pennsylvania since 1999. While the Turkish government accused him of running a "terrorist" organization, the cleric claimed that it was merely a network of charities and businesses.
Once an ally of Erdogan, Gülen was latter accused by the Turkish president of orchestrating the failed coup of July 15, 2016, which resulted in the arrests of hundreds of thousands of his supporters in Turkey. The government revoked his Turkish citizenship in 2017.
At the moment, it remains unclear whether Erdogan will authorize the repatriation of his remains to Turkey.
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