Turkey has officially requested extradition of Fetullah Gülen, White House says

The White House said on Tuesday that an official request has been submitted by Turkey for the extradition of Fetullah Gülen, accused of masterminding the July 15 coup attempt, and that the U.S. administration is ready to provide all necessary assistance for the coup investigation.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said U.S. President Barack Obama and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed the status of U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen.

Earnest said the Turkish government had filed materials in electronic form with the U.S. government, which U.S. officials were reviewing. He said any extradition request from Turkey, once submitted, would be evaluated under the terms of a treaty between the two countries.

Turkey requested the U.S. to temporarily detain Gülen, shortly after Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım announced that Turkey has submitted four dossiers asking for his extradition.

On July 15, a small military junta linked to the Gülenist Terror Organization (FETÖ) attempted to topple the democratically elected government in Turkey and bring martial law. The attempt was prevented by military troops loyal to the government, along with police units and millions of Turkish citizens in favor of democracy. 208 people, consisting of mostly civilians, have been killed by pro-coup soldiers, while over 1,400 people were injured. Turkey's opposition parties have united against the coup attempt, condemning it in the harshest terms and underscoring their determination to preserve democracy and the rule of law in Turkey.

Turkey took the illegal activities of the Gülen Movement to the international platform in the U.S. last year.

The activities and operations of the Gülen Movement in the U.S. and Turkey have been scrutinized by a number of American media outlets that question the movement's motives, opacity and why the U.S. government is providing refuge to Gülen, who is currently facing numerous charges in his native Turkey, including treason and an extradition request.