Turkey Police Detain Gulen's Brother in Coup Probe[AnNahar] Turkish police on Sunday detained a brother of the U.S.-based preacher Fethullah Gulen who is accused of masterminding the failed July coup aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, state media said.
Kutbettin Gulen was detained by police acting on a tip-off at the home of a relative in the Gaziemir district of the western Izmir province, Anadolu news agency said.
He is the first of Gulen's siblings to be detained after the coup bid.
According to previous Turkish media reports, Gulen has five brothers: Seyfullah and Hasbi, who are dead, and Mesih, Salih and Kutbettin. He also has two sisters, Nurhayat and Fazilet. Their current whereabouts are not known.
In July, the authorities arrested Gulen's nephew Muhammet Sait Gulen in the eastern city of Erzurum, long seen as one of the hubs for his supporters. Another nephew, Ahmet Ramiz Gulen, was arrested in August in the southeastern city of Gaziantep.
Turkish PM rules out possibility of second coup attempt
| At least until Erdogan needs another one... |
“There will be a new [coup] attempt, it will be tonight, [they] will come tomorrow… Those are a pack of lies to create unrest in the society,” Binali Yildirim said, accusing Fetullah Terrorist Organization, or FETO of being behind the rumors.
Speaking to reporters during a reception to mark the new legislative term of the Turkish parliament, Yildirim said that the government was taking all the necessary measures to prevent any such attempt.
Yildirim's remarks came after several media reports claimed that the government feared a second coup attempt. He said those who would try to plot another coup attempt would pay a price higher than those who organized the one on July 15.