US academic urges Gulen’s extradition to Turkey

By Sorwar Alam

ANKARA

U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, who leads the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) -- the group behind last year’s defeated coup attempt -- should be extradited to Turkey, a U.S. academic said Wednesday.

Abraham R. Wagner, wrote in an opinion piece for daily Washington Times: “It is time for Fethullah Gulen to go home to face the music and the justice he so richly deserves.”

The senior fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies on Terrorism at Columbia Law School, Columbia University added that the media had failed to highlight the FETO leader’s “history of corruption and radicalism”.

“Gulen’s actual record deserves the utmost scrutiny, and should not be overshadowed by the unfolding diplomatic intrigue,” he said.

“In the United States, Gulen has received hundreds of millions in American taxpayer dollars to fund his vast network of charter schools, which have been under state-level and federal investigations for alleged, yet dire financial malfeasance in Texas, Louisiana, Illinois, Ohio and elsewhere,” Wagner added.

“The curriculum and administration of Gulen schools are also suspect, with former teachers attesting to being fired and immediately replaced by new arrivals from Turkey -- predominantly young men, with no English or teaching skills. ”

Wagner also touched upon the July 15 defeated coup attempt in Turkey last year that martyred 250 people and left over 2,200 others injured.

According to Turkey, the defeated coup attempt was masterminded by Gulen and staged by his FETO network, which has infiltrated almost all government institutions including police, judiciary and the military.

“Mounting evidence seems to substantiate this and, at least, warrant Mr. Gulen’s extradition for trial in Turkey,” Wagner added.

He also cited a previous statement from the former National Security Adviser and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn who had said: "From Turkey’s point of view Washington is harboring Turkey's Osama bin Laden.”

Wagner said that despite all of the allegations and evidence against him, Gulen was “still free to do as he will[s] and has yet to be extradited despite Turkey’s continued requests”.

He urged U.S. administration to consider the wealth of evidence collected by the FBI, state law enforcement agencies and Turkish authorities “against this treacherous man” and to consider his extradition to Turkey.

“The calculus of whether to extradite Mr. Gulen to Turkey should also consider that Turkey is an indispensable friend and ally of the United States and a fellow NATO member in a very volatile part of the world,” Wagner said.