Turkey seeks arrest of US-based cleric

A court in Turkey has issued a formal warrant for the arrest of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the government accuses of being behind the failed coup that left more than 270 people dead.

An Istanbul-based court issued the warrant for “ordering the July 15 coup attempt”, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.

The government says Gulen, a former ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, masterminded the failed coup by renegade officers in Turkey’s military and wants him extradited to Turkey.