Turkish Foreign Minister Blames Gulen for Russian Ambassador's Assassination in Call with John Kerry

Shortly after the U.S. State Department spokesperson criticized any attribution of the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara to the United States, Turkey's state news agency reports that the Turkish Foreign Minister has identified Fethullah Gulen as responsible for the assassination in a call with his American counterpart. Fethullah Gulen, a preacher and staunch critic of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been in voluntary exile in the U.S. for years. Ankara has accused him of orchestrating the failed coup in July and has repeatedly requested his extradition from the United States. The U.S. government states that a decision on his extradition to Turkey may be possible if undeniable evidence is provided. Gulen condemned the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara, calling it a "very ugly act." According to a report published by Turkey's Anadolu Agency, Mevlut Cavusoglu told John Kerry that "both Turkey and Russia know that Gulen's terrorist organization is behind the assassination of Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador." French news agency has republished the Turkish Foreign Minister's phone call as reported by Anadolu. The Turkish newspaper Sabah also published a similar report regarding Cavusoglu's call with Kerry. Just hours before this report was released, John Kirby expressed concern about "some statements made by Turkey regarding support, connection, or anything else from the U.S." in relation to the assassination of the Russian ambassador, due to Gulen's presence in the U.S. Kirby stated, "Any theory suggesting that the U.S. supported or was behind this (assassination of the Russian ambassador), or even indirectly involved, is certainly ridiculous." In the statements released by Kirby in the U.S., there was no mention of the phone call. Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador in Ankara, was assassinated on Monday evening by a young man identified by Turkey as a member of its police forces. The President of Russia described this assassination as an attempt to disrupt cooperation between Ankara and Moscow over Syria. The foreign ministers of these two countries and Iran met after this attack; a meeting regarding Syria that had been previously scheduled. Following the failed coup in July in Turkey, a large number of military, police, and government personnel in Turkey have been arrested for supporting the coup and having ties to Fethullah Gulen. Gulen has denied any involvement in the coup.