Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is calling on US President Barak Obama to extradite Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen to Turkey to permit him to face charges of treason. The call to the White House was made on Saturday. The Turkish leaders calls on the US leader to arrest him and extradite him as a “strategic partner” would do.

Turkish officials are explaining that Gulen’s followers in Turkey are responsible for the attempted coup and therefore, as a staunch ally of Ankara, the US must arrest him to permit Turkish authorities to place him on trial.

Gulen has denied the accusations against him, insisting he had no role whatsoever in the attempted takeover.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)