Incident Near Home Of Turkish Cleric Gulen May Be Linked To Ankara Threats - Rights Group

A security incident at the retreat center in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, which has long been used by Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, was could have been incited by Turkish government threats, the rights group the Alliance for Shared Values said in a press release on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd October, 2018) A security incident at the retreat center in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, which has long been used by Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, was could have been incited by Turkish government threats, the rights group the Alliance for Shared Values said in a press release on Wednesday.

"The attempted armed entry comes on the heels of Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin speaking recently that Turkey's National Intelligence Organization would launch overseas 'operations' against supporters of Mr. Gulen," the release said.

The rights group noted it has been widely reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was plotting the kidnapping of Gulen and the United States should continue to hold Turkey liable for its actions.

On Wednesday, authorities in Saylorsburg responded to a security situation after an armed guard fired a shot at a suspected armed intruder.

The intruder fled the scene and police are looking for the individual. No one has been injured in the incident.

A media adviser representing Gulen, who was reportedly inside the compound, said the incident is over as far as they are concerned, according to media reports.

Ankara has accused Gulen, who has been living in the United States since 1999, and his followers of orchestrating a failed military coup that took place on July 15, 2016. Gulen has repeatedly denied being part of the coup.

Nearly 80,000 people, including officials and military staff, have reportedly been arrested in Turkey over their alleged links to Gulen since the failed coup attempt.