Türkiye confirms death of FETÖ leader Gülen: foreign minister

ANKARA

Turkish intelligence sources have confirmed the death of Fetullah Gülen, leader of the FETÖ terror organization accused of orchestrating the failed 2016 coup attempt, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced on Friday.

"The ringleader of this dark organization has died," Fidan stated during a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, in the capital Ankara.

"Gülen's death will not make us complacent. Our nation and state will continue to fight against this organization as they fight against all terrorist organizations," he said.

Earlier in the day, Turkish security sources also confirmed that the leader of the FETÖ terrorist organization behind the failed 2016 coup attempt died at the age of 83 in Pennsylvania, the U.S.

"The organization deceived thousands of our young people into joining its ranks in the name of the sacred values and turned them into a machine that betrayed their homeland, their nation and their values,” Fidan said.

The Turkish foreign minister said that these people are now being used as weapons against their own country in the hands of intelligence services abroad.

"With this death, I urge them to abandon this treacherous path of betrayal. I call on them to stop working against their state and nation. This path does not lead to a good end.”

He further asserted that Gülen's death will not cause Türkiye to "become complacent" in its fight against terrorism, vowing to continue efforts against all organizations.

Social media accounts affiliated with the terrorist group initially reported that Gülen died on Oct. 20, and his family members later confirmed his death.

Gülen, who had been living in exile in the United States since 1999, was last seen leaving his Pennsylvania home on Oct. 13. He had reportedly been moved to a large house near the Chestnut Retreat Center in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, known as FETO's headquarters.

The FETÖ and its leader Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which resulted in 251 deaths and 2,734 injuries. In the aftermath, Turkish authorities launched a widespread crackdown on alleged FETÖ members within state institutions, leading to numerous dismissals.