Coup bid in Turkey could have been staged, says US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen

Saylorsburg: U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whose followers Turkey blames for a failed coup, said on Saturday the attempted overthrow may have been staged, and he urged the Turkish people not to view military intervention in a positive light.

"There is a slight chance, there is a possibility that it could be a staged coup," Gulen told reporters through a translator in Pennsylvania, where he resides. "It could be meant for court accusations and associations."

Gulen said democracy cannot be achieved through military action. He criticized the President Tayyip Erdogan`s government.

"It appears that they have no tolerance for any movement, any group, any organization that is not under their total control," he said.