Turkish agents capture Fethullah Gulen's nephew, Erdogan's opponent

Fethullah Gülen's nephew Selahaddin Gulen was captured abroad and taken to Turkey. He was believed to be residing in Kenya, but the report does not specify where he was detained or when he was repatriated to Turkey. On May 20, in a video posted on social media, the captured man's wife stated that she had not heard from her husband since May 3, so this may have been the date of his arrest. 

Selahaddin, reportedly wanted in Turkey on charges of membership of a terrorist organisation, was captured in an operation by the Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MIT). Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's president, announced in early May that a prominent member of Fethullah's network had been captured, but did not provide details. It is not known whether the MIT was assisted by the Kenyan government.  

On March 18 this year, Turkey launched operations to capture 75 suspected members of the so-called "Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organisation" (FETO). Selahaddin Gulen is the latest forced repatriation of a dissident allegedly affiliated with FETO, which the Turkish government blames for the failed coup attempt of 15 July 2016. 

Five years ago, a total of 251 people died in the coup, 35 of whom were alleged coup plotters, and 2,734 others were injured. The event led to unprecedented purges, with tens of thousands of arrests and more than 140,000 civil servants dismissed or suspended from their duties.

Fethullah Gulen, the accused coup mastermind, is a Turkish theologian, Islamic scholar and preacher. He is the founder of the Gulen Movement known as "Hizmet", which seeks to promote inter-religious dialogue, the free market and the importance of being a "good Muslim". He is a socially conservative and economically liberal ideologue. The preacher claims to run a peaceful network of NGOs and businesses and denies any involvement in the coup attempt.

His enmity with Erdogan goes back years. Initially the Justice and Development Party (AKP) saw Hizmet as a useful ally in reducing the military's influence, but as the movement gained strength that affinity faded. The break came in 2013 when Fethullah spoke out in favour of corruption investigations into the executive. Erdogan accused his opponent of "unleashing a witch hunt".  Since then, Erdogan has accused Gulen of leading a terrorist organisation, the FETO, and thousands of Gulenists have been expelled from their posts, media outlets and Gulenist companies have been taken over by the government. 

Fethullah Gulen has been living in self-imposed exile in a religious community in the US state of Pennsylvania for more than 15 years. Ankara has repeatedly sent extradition requests to the US government for FETO members residing there to be sent to Turkey for prosecution.