Washington: U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen on Thursday denounced an arrest warrant issued by Turkey`s government that accuses him of plotting an attempted coup.


"It is well-documented that the Turkish court system is without judicial independence, so this warrant is yet another example of President (Tayyip) Erdogan`s drive for authoritarianism and away from democracy," Gulen, who has denied any involvement in last month`s failed coup, said in a statement.