Fetullah Gulen masterminded the July 15, 2016 terrorist coup attempt as a result of which 250 innocent people were killed, 2,195 wounded. The perpetrators of this terrorist attack on Turkish democracy also tried to assassinate the Turkish President, bombed the Turkish parliament, civilians gathered in the streets to defend their democracy as well as buildings of numerous government institutions

The fact that Fetullah Gulen who is the mastermind behind all these crimes continues to find refuge in the United States remains, perplexing and deeply frustrating for the Turkish people. We continue to work in close coordination with our colleagues in the relevant U.S. agencies to ensure that they comprehend the full scope of the criminality of FETO, the Fetullah Gulen Terror Organization, and the justifications for Gulen’s extradition, pursuant to the terms of the Turkey-U.S. bilateral extradition treaty.

The Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Turkish people expect the immediate extradition of Fetullah Gulen from the United States to Turkey, so that he can stand trial. As we stated previously, on March 28, 2017 all allegations that Turkey would resort to means external to the rule of law for his extradition are utterly false, ludicrous and groundless.