FETO terror group ringleader died in hospital in US state of Pennsylvania, records show

By Mucahit Oktay and Aynur Seyma Asan

PENNSYLVANIA, US (AA) – Fetullah Gulen, ringleader of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group which mounted a defeated coup against Türkiye in 2016, died in a hospital in the US state of Pennsylvania, Anadolu confirmed on Monday.

Gulen’s name is listed among those who died at St. Luke's Hospital the hospital, in the borough of Stroudsburg, according to official hospital records.

Gulen, who was 83, stayed in room 251 shortly before his death, according to hospital officials.

Anadolu captured images of the room where Gulen stayed before his death.

Room 251 was recently vacated and cleaned, the footage showed.

Hospital staff said that until recently, visitors had come to check on his treatment.

His body was taken to the hospital morgue, which is off limits to the public.

Turkish intelligence has confirmed the death of Gulen, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said earlier Monday.

"Our intelligence sources confirm the death of the FETO organization's leader," Fidan said in response to Anadolu's question at a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Ankara.

"The leader of this dark organization is dead," Fidan said, adding that Türkiye's determination to fight terrorism would continue.

Gulen had been living in Pennsylvania. Turkish leaders had long sought his extradition, but US judicial officials had turned down this request.

He orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Türkiye in which 252 people were killed and 2,734 wounded.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.