Turkish justice minister to visit US for Gulen's arrest

By Kemal Karadag

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's justice minister will meet U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday to discuss Ankara's request for the extradition and provisional arrest of Fetullah Gulen, the U.S.-based mastermind of last July's failed coup.

According to a ministry source who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, Bekir Bozdag will share new evidence with his U.S. counterpart on Gulen ahead of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the country between May 15 and 17.

Bozdag will leave for the U.S. on Sunday and return to Turkey on Tuesday.

Turkey's Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar, intelligence chief Hakan Fidan and Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin set off on Friday to the U.S. ahead of Erdogan’s first face-to-face visit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The two leaders are expected to discuss Gulen's extradition, as well as the developments in Syria and Iraq plus the fight against terrorism.

Trump was one of the first international leaders to congratulate Erdogan over the Yes win in Turkey’s April 16 constitutional referendum.

FETO is accused of being behind the July 15, 2016, defeated coup in Turkey. The Turkish government has been seeking Gulen’s extradition following the coup bid that resulted in 249 deaths and thousands of injuries.

Turkey's first official request for Gulen's provisional arrest was issued to the U.S. on Sep. 13.

Ankara maintains that the overthrow attempt was organized by followers of Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the state of Pennsylvania since 1999, and his FETO terror group.

Gulen is also accused of leading a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the parallel state.