Turkey Blames Coup Attempt On Group Led By U.S.-Based Cleric

Although it is still unclear who is responsible for Friday’s failed coup attempt against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish officials have placed blame on members of the Gülen movement, a religious and social group that the government has accused in the past of endeavoring to establish a “parallel state” inside of Turkey.

This presents a potential rift between Ankara and Washington, as Fethullah Gülen, the Sunni cleric who heads the group, has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999.