Muslim preacher Fethullah Gülen is dead, according to public television

Turkish public television TRT announced Monday October 21 the death of Muslim preacher Fethullah Gülen who lived in the United States, citing X accounts and websites close to his movement.

According to TRT, the 83-year-old preacher, accused by Ankara of plotting an attempted coup in Türkiye in July 2016, has died “last night at the hospital where he was taken”.

His site, Herkul, which announced the death of Fethullah Gülen “October 20” is banned in Türkiye.

“Reverend Fethullah Gülen who spent every moment of his life serving the blessed religion of Islam and humanity walked today (October 20) towards the horizons of his soul »writes Herkul, indicating that “detailed information on burial procedures will be shared (later) with the public ».

Accused of “terrorism”

The information was widely reported Monday morning by the media in Türkiye but did not immediately provoke a reaction from the authorities.

Inspirer of the Gülen movement, also called the “Hizmet” movement, Fethullah Gülen had been based in Pennsylvania, in the United States, since 1999.

In exile, he had escaped for almost fifteen years from the clutches of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, formerly his ally, who accused him of “terrorism”.

Turkey stripped him of his Turkish nationality in 2017.

Formerly allied with the Gülenist movement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made it his sworn enemy after the attempted coup of July 15, 2016 and has since carried out hundreds of arrests in the ranks of the Gülenists.