Turkey issues arrest warrant for Gulen over roles in coup bid

An Istanbul court has issued an arrest warrant for Fethullah Gulen on charges of leading the July 15 failed coup attempt in Turkey, local Hurriyet reported Thursday.

Istanbul First Court of Peace ruled for the arrest of Gulen, the first warrant issued against the U.S.-based Islamic cleric concerning the July 15 coup attempt.

The ruling said Gulen organization, which infiltrated the Turkish Armed Forces in major cities, aimed to take over all the state's institutions and security bodies by changing the constitution.

A probe was launched into Gulen on the legal grounds that "organization executives are sentenced as perpetrators due to all crimes committed within the frame of organization's activities," according to the ruling.

It said that the coup attempt was the action of the organization and was carried out by its founder suspect Fethullah Gulen.

Gulen is also accused of implementing 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." Endit