Police called to US compound of Turkish cleric Gulen over suspected intruder

4 Oct, 2018 12:49 / Updated 6 years ago

Police were called to the Pennsylvania compound of Fethullah Gulen, the US-based Muslim cleric accused by Turkey of instigating a failed 2016 coup, after a guard saw a suspected armed intruder on Wednesday, Reuters reported. The security guard fired a shot in the air as the person tried to enter the compound’s gates at around 8:30am (12:30 GMT) and the person fled, according to Alp Aslandogan, Gulen’s media adviser. There were no known injuries or arrests, he said, adding that “the incident is over as far as we’re concerned.” Gulen was inside his residence on the compound at the time. On Wednesday, several Pennsylvania State Police cars were seen around the gated compound and retreat in Saylorsburg in the Pocono Mountains, according to photographs shared online by local news reporters. Ankara has accused Gulen of orchestrating an attempted coup in July 2016. The cleric denies any involvement.