Arrest warrant for Fethullah Gulen issued

Turkey issued a formal on Thursday for US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen after the July 15 coup attempt aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, state-run media reported.

An Istanbul court issued the warrant, the first after the failed putsch for the reclusive cleric in Pennsylvania, the Anadolu news agency said.

In the warrant, Gulen stands accused of "ordering the July 15 coup", Anadolu reported.

Gulen strongly denies any involvement and the movement he leads insists it is a charitable network promoting tolerant Islam.

Turkey previously issued an arrest warrant for Gulen in December 2014 on charges of setting up and directing an "armed terrorist organisation" as well as using intimidation to deprive a person of their freedom.

Ankara has frequently called on the United States to extradite Gulen, sending two sets of documents to Washington since the coup as evidence of his involvement in the putsch attempt.

Turkey has yet to make a formal extradition request to the US for Gulen.

Erdogan yesterday also vowed to choke off businesses linked to the U.S.-based cleric, describing his schools, firms and charities as "nests of terrorism" and promising no mercy in rooting them out.

Business is the arena in which the network of Fethullah Gulen is still the strongest, Erdogan said in a speech from his palace broadcast live.

Erdogan accuses Gulen of harnessing an extensive network of schools, charities and businesses, built up in Turkey and abroad over decades, to infiltrate state institutions and build a "parallel structure" that aimed to take over the country.

A rogue faction within the military tried to wrest control of the country on July 15, launching attacks on parliament and the president's palace.

At least 238 people were killed and nearly 2,200 injured after people took to the streets and squares against the putschists. Since then thousands have been purged from their roles in the judiciary, police, military and education system, accused of being members of the coup movement while more than 18,000 people have been detained.