A famous cleric who suffered at the hands of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) said Adil Öksüz, considered a mastermind behind the failed Gülenist coup attempt and who was detained at the Akıncı Air Base following the putsch before being released, used to visit him during his time in prison in 2011.

Ahmet Mahmut Ünlü, known as Cübbeli Ahmet Hoca, said he was convicted and sentenced to 53 years in prison by the FETÖ, which is led by U.S.-based imam Fethullah Gülen, due to his opposition to interfaith dialogue, which Gülen promotes.

Ünlü told CNN Türk late on Thursday: "After six months [of being in prison], Gülen sent me letters through Adil Öksüz, who is currently being sought. There are records of the visit in the prison, and you can inquire from officials there."

He said that a special room was arranged for the meeting and Öksüz brought him two books as a present from Gülen, and that they were not subjected to investigation by prison officials, contrary to prison practice.

Ünlü was jailed in 2011 in a case orchestrated by Gülenist prosecutors and judges, then released under judicial review in 2012. Former police Chief Hanefi Avcı, who was jailed in a FETÖ plot due to a book he wrote about its alleged illegal activities, has claimed that the tape scandal that sent Ünlü behind bars was also a Gülenist conspiracy.