The president points his
finger towards Pennsylvania, home of exiled Fetullah Gulen, leader of the
powerful Hizmet movement.
Turkey's
president has accused a US-based Muslim preacher of being behind the attempted
military coup against his government.
In a televised address as tanks
were parked on bridges in Istanbul and military helicopters flew over the city,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan pinned the blame on "the parallel state" and
"Pennsylvania".
The US state is home to Fetullah
Gulen, once a close ally of Mr Erdogan, but now living in exile.
The 75-year-old is the leader of
the Hizmet (Service) movement, which has a powerful presence in areas of
Turkish society, including the military, police and media.
He promotes a philosophy which incorporates a mystical form of
Islam with advocacy of democracy, education and science.
The New
York-based group which promotes his ideas, The Alliance For Shared Value, has
started more than 1,000 schools across the world, including 150 in the US.
Mr
Erdogan has repeatedly accused Mr Gulen of trying to overthrow his government
and attempting to set up a "state within a state" with Hizmet.
Video: Turkey Coup: How Events Unfolded
In 2013
judicial officials thought to be close to Gulen brought corruption charges that
directly implicated some of Erdogan's inner circle, including his son Bilal.
Mr Erdogan reacted by purging hundreds of army officers, including
senior generals, shutting down schools operated by Hizmet and firing hundreds
of police officers.
He has
also targeted newspapers thought to be supportive of his rival, dismissing
their editors or closing them down.
In June,
a lawsuit claiming Mr Gulen ordered sympathetic police, prosecutors and judges
to target members of a rival movement in Turkey was thrown out by a US judge.
Lawyer
Robert Amsterdam, representing the Turkish government, said: "Despite the
outcome of this ruling, a very clear message has been sent to Gulen and his
co-conspirators in the Poconos: the days of impunity are numbered, and your
unlawful conduct will be brought to light."
Mr Gulen
has denied any role in Friday's coup attempt and condemned it "in the
strongest terms"
"As someone who suffered under multiple military coups during
the past five decades, it is especially insulting to be accused of having any
link to such an attempt. I categorically deny such accusations," he said
in a statement.
"I
condemn, in the strongest terms, the attempted military coup in Turkey.
"Government
should be won through a process of free and fair elections, not force.
"I
pray to God for Turkey, for Turkish citizens, and for all those currently in
Turkey that this situation is resolved peacefully and quickly."
Mr Gulen
moved to the United States in 1999 and now lives in a gated home in a small
town in the Pocono Mountains. He has been charged with treason in his native
country.
He rarely
making public appearances or gives interviews, but is reported to spend hours
every day in prayer in meditation.
On the
shelves of Mr Gulen's living quarters are jars filled with soil from different
regions of his homeland.
The
Turkish government has not presented any evidence of links between the group
calling itself the Council for Peace in the Homeland, which declared martial
law and a curfew.
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