The Latest: Cleric Gulen denies any role in Turkish coup try

[TomSea]

To really orchestrate from Pa. seems questionable, I've heard the Turks or at least, Erdogan govt. were irrational with the Kurds, they may well be irrational in this affair too.

The Latest: Cleric Gulen denies any role in Turkish coup try

ANKARA, Turkey — The Latest on the attempted military coup in Turkey (all times local):

11:20 p.m.

The moderate U.S.-based Islamic cleric that Turkey’s president is blaming for a failed coup attempt is strongly denying that he is responsible for the unrest or has any knowledge of who is.

At a news conference Saturday in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, Fethullah Gulen stressed he left Turkey over 15 years ago. He says he no longer follows developments in Turkey and doesn’t even know “who my followers are.”

Gulen says there could be many motives behind an attempted coup against former ally President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — whether sympathizers of himself or the opposition party. But Gulen says he wouldn’t know.

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/the-latest-gulen-denies-involvement-in-turkey-coup-attempt/2016/07/15/5ca1892a-4ae9-11e6-8dac-0c6e4accc5b1_story.html

Total denial. As said, it would be hard to believe someone could have that much sway 4,000 miles away.

[geronl]

To really orchestrate from Pa. seems questionable, I've heard the Turks or at least, Erdogan govt. were irrational with the Kurds, they may well be irrational in this affair too.

Total denial. As said, it would be hard to believe someone could have that much sway 4,000 miles away.

He issued a message at the start of the coup that said he had nothing to do with it.

[sinkspur]

To really orchestrate from Pa. seems questionable, I've heard the Turks or at least, Erdogan govt. were irrational with the Kurds, they may well be irrational in this affair too.

Total denial. As said, it would be hard to believe someone could have that much sway 4,000 miles away.

May well be?  Erdogan is a certified nut case, buddying up to Putin and Assad. He needs to take the focus off himself and his Islamization of Turkey.

[geronl]

Erdogan could have engineered fake coup as a pretext to take up dictatorial powers and eliminate his opposition.