Europe

Turkey sends 2nd document to US seeking cleric's arrest

Associated Press
Published | Updated

A mother and son embrace at a ferry station in Istanbul, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. Turkey's justice minister has sent a document to the United States seeking the arrest of cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania and who Ankara accuses of instigating an attempted coup on July 15. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) (The Associated Press)

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, left, addresses in the Parliament in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. Yildirim announced plans Tuesday to shut down two military high courts _ the administrative and appeals, and said military courts, which deal with disciplinary issues, would be placed under the Defense Ministry's supervision (Hakan Goktepe/Pool Photo via AP) (The Associated Press)

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, left, addresses in the Parliament in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. Yildirim announced plans Tuesday to shut down two military high courts the administrative and appeals, and said military courts, which deal with disciplinary issues, would be placed under the Defense Ministry's supervision (Hakan Goktepe/Pool Photo via AP) (The Associated Press)

Turkey's justice minister has sent a document to the United States seeking the arrest of cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania and whom Ankara accuses of instigating an attempted coup on July 15.

The state-run Anadolu news agency said Tuesday that Bekir Bozdag had sent a "second written document" requesting Gulen's arrest. It gave no details of contents. Ankara has demanded Gulen's extradition over the failed coup, which left 271 people dead. Washington has asked for evidence of the cleric's involvement, saying the extradition process must take its course.

The Turkish government launched a sweeping crackdown on Gulen's movement, which runs schools, charities and businesses internationally. In Turkey, nearly 70,000 people have been suspended from their jobs on suspicion of being involved in the movement.