Fethullah Gulen

Turkish Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, on Saturday said any country that stood by Muslim cleric, Fethullah Gulen, would not be a friend of Turkey.

He said that such country would be considered at war with Turkey, a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) member.

The government, according to a NAN report, said that followers of Gulen, who had been living in self-imposed exile in the U.S. for years, were behind the attempted coup by a faction of the military on Friday.

The government accused Gulen of trying to build a “parallel structure’’ within the judiciary, education system and media.

It also accused him of using military as a way to overthrow the state, a charge the cleric has denied.
Credit: NAN