Turkey to give US new evidence for Gulen's arrest

ANKARA

Turkey will give the U.S. new evidence on its arrest request for Fetullah Gulen, the Turkish fugitive accused of leading the failed July 15 coup that martyred 241 people, according to judicial sources.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said Monday that Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag will share new evidence obtained since Sept. 10 with his U.S. counterpart, Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

Bozdag will leave for the U.S. on Tuesday to meet with Lynch to discuss Turkey's official request for the provisional arrest of terrorist leader Gulen, according to Justice Ministry sources.

Turkey has officially submitted to the U.S. evidence that Gulen’s network established a quasi-state within the Turkish state in an attempt to topple the government and ultimately tried to take over the state via a bloody coup.

Turkish authorities also issued an official request for Gulen’s extradition under a 1979 treaty between Turkey and the U.S.

Bozdag will be accompanied by Ahmet Iyimaya, the chairman of parliament's Justice Commission, as well as deputies from the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

During his four-day official visit, according to his official schedule, Bozdag is also due to attend a panel discussion on the July 15 coup attempt organized by the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) and inaugurate Anadolu Agency's photo exhibit on "The Rise of the National Will" in Washington.

At least 241 people were martyred and nearly 2,200 injured in the failed coup, which the government said was organized by followers of Fetullah Gulen, the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) leader who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, in the U.S.

Gulen is accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the Turkish government through the infiltration of state institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.