Fethullah Gulen, the Turkish cleric who was accused by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of orchestrating the 2016 attempted coup, has passed away at the age of 83, the BBC reported on Monday, citing a confirmation from Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Gulen, who had been residing in self-imposed exile in the United States, reportedly died in a Pennsylvania hospital, as reported by Turkish media outlets.
At a press conference in Ankara, Fidan confirmed Gulen's death, referring to him as the head of a "dark organization" based on intelligence reports.
Often referred to as the second most powerful figure in Turkey, Gulen led a movement known as Hizmet.
Gulen split from Erdogan over a corruption scandal in 2013. Erdogan had long accused him of running a parallel state from abroad.
Gulen was also accused by Turkey of orchestrating the failed coup plot in July of 2016. The cleric, who denied the claims, suggested that the uprising by members of the country’s military could have been “staged” by the government.
Following the coup, tens of thousands of suspected Gulen supporters were dismissed from jobs in the judiciary, armed services or media, and many were arrested and imprisoned.
Turkey sought Gulen’s extradition to face trial, but the US government insisted that it needed evidence of Gulen's involvement in the coup before proceeding. Gulen remained in the US until his death.