Turkey urges new US attorney general to extradite Gulen

By Ahmet Sait Akcay

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s justice minister on Thursday called on the newly installed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Session to extradite the main suspect in orchestrating July’s attempted coup.

Bekir Bozdag said returning Pennsylvania-based Fetullah Gulen to Turkey would “contribute greatly to developing bilateral relations between the two countries.”

Gulen has been named as the leader of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) that Ankara holds responsible for the failed coup, in which 248 people were martyred. He has lived in the U.S. since 1999.

In a letter to Session, who was confirmed as the U.S.’s top law officer on Feb. 8, Bozdag said: “I sincerely believe that you will deservedly fulfil this duty with your deep professional experience and distinguished career in law and that friendly relations between our countries will continue during your term.

“The extradition of Gulen will contribute greatly to developing bilateral relations between the two countries.”

In the letter, a copy of which was emailed to Anadolu Agency, Bozdag added: “According to bilateral agreements between us, finalizing the process of provisional arrest and extradition quickly and positively is important.

“Therefore, I would like to state that our sincere cooperation against all kinds of terror threat to our countries will improve our current bilateral relations.”

In addition to the attempted coup, Turkey accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions.