US to soon respond to Turkish request to arrest Gulen

Washington would respond within a few days to Ankara's request to arrest Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of masterminding the July 15 coup attempt, authorities here said on Wednesday.

Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag quoted American officials as saying that the evidence presented by Turkey indicates that Gulen, a Muslim cleric now residing in Pennsylvania, will soon be arrested in the US, Xinhua news agency reported.

On August 4, an Istanbul court issued a warrant for Gulen on charges of leading the failed coup attempt.

Bozdag warned earlier that the relationship between the US and Turkey would be negatively affected if Gulen is not extradited.

Tensions emerged after Ankara expressed its discontent over the perceived lack of support from the West in the wake of the coup bid.

Bozdag also said that 32,000 people have been arrested in the investigation into the coup attempt.

--IANS

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