Fethullah Gulen: Killing of Russian envoy ‘heinous act’


Date posted: December 19, 2016

U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen on Monday condemned the assassination of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey as a “heinous act of terror” and urged the Turkish government to identify anyone who aided the gunman.

Gulen’s written statement was issued after one of his advisers strongly denied allegations by an unnamed senior Turkish security official of “very strong signs” that the gunman who killed the ambassador belonged to Gulen’s movement.

Ankara has accused the cleric of instigating a failed coup in July and has cracked down on thousands of people it suspects of links to the Turkish Muslim cleric. Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, denies any involvement.

“I condemn in the strongest terms this heinous act of terror,” Gulen said. “Turkish and international experts repeatedly have pointed out the deterioration of security and counter-terrorism efforts due to the Turkish government’s assigning hundreds of counter-terrorism police officers to unrelated posts, as well as the firing and imprisoning many others since 2014.”

(Reporting By Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Andrew Hay)

Source: Reuters , December 19, 2016

Tags: | | | | |


Related News

Anonymous witnesses fail to identify suspects they earlier tipped off as Gulenist

An anonymous witness in Denizli failed to identify any of the 145 suspects, earlier accused of being followers of the Gulen movement, during a court hearing on Oct. 30. The judge in charge loudly read the names, however Aslan did not remember any of them. The judge asked: “Did you tip off about some names during your statement to the prosecutor, is that right?”

Should We Send A Man We Know Is Innocent To His Death Abroad?

Wow…realpolitik will take precedence. It’s okay to send Gulen to his death. What do we care about the execution of a Muslim cleric who paid for full-page ads in the New York Times to condemn 9/11 attacks, the Charlie Hebdo attacks, and ISIS, forged ties between Jews, Christians and Muslims, who came to America because of our freedoms, and will honor our request, putting his fate in God’s hands, and our own. And why do we care that he goes to his death at the hands of a man who had good things to say about Hitler’s system of government.

Number of Kimse Yok Mu volunteers triple

The aid organization’s volunteers number have increased three-fold despite a politically-motivated hate campaign launched by government in Turkey

520 children of imprisoned mothers growing up in jail, yet Turkey celebrates Children’s Day

As Turkey celebrated the 97th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Parliament and Children’s Day on April 23, at least 520 children with imprisoned mothers have been deprived of enjoying the day as they are obliged to grow up in jail.

Turkish Airlines stops distribution of Zaman and Today’s Zaman on its planes

Turkey’s flagship carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) has put an embargo on dailies affiliated with the Fethullah Gülen Movement, which has been in at odds with the government over an ongoing corruption investigation. The airline, 74 percent of which is owned by the state, had already stopped delivering the English-language daily Today’s Zaman in airport terminals and on planes before slashing the distribution of its Turkish sibling, daily Zaman, by two-thirds.

The Guardian view on the week in Turkey: coup – and counter-coup?

Now, with the European convention on human rights suspended and a six-month state of emergency that allows President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to rule without parliament – although thousands still turn out nightly in his support – some are beginning to wonder if the cure has turned out to be little better than the original threat.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Myanmar-based family abducted by Turkish embassy from Yangon airport

Vocational training center for the women in Albany

US says it does not consider Gülen movement a terror organization

Philanthropy key to peacebuilding and settlement of conflicts

Ergenekon’s coup-lovers owe an apology to the Hizmet movement

Professor Wagner: With Gülen, the key is love

Science, Culture and Art activity held at Fatih College

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News