The news

A Turkish cleric accused of plotting a failed coup to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has died in the US aged 83.

Fethullah Gülen, the spiritual leader of the Hizmet movement, which represents moderate Islam, was blamed for masterminding the 2016 coup that killed 250 people – a claim Gülen has consistently denied.

Thousands of public servants, including civil servants, bureaucrats and army leaders, were arrested in a government crackdown following the coup.

Gülen, who had been living in the United States since 1999, reportedly died after being admitted to a hospital in Pennsylvania.

SIGNALS

Gülen transformed religious beliefs into a widespread political movement

Gülen, who became an imam in Turkey in the late 1970s, founded a movement that claimed to follow the teachings of Said Nursi, an Islamic cleric and Sufi. As Gülen gained followers, his faith spread through Turkish schools in more than 100 countries and eventually turned into a political movement. The members “actively recruited individuals and placed them in key state institutions such as the police, judiciary and military,” an Ankara-based reporter wrote. According to a 2016 New Yorker profile, Gülen often sought to reconcile Islam with contemporary science, promoting charity and meeting with interfaith leaders: “For many in the West, it represented a hopeful trend in Islam.”

Gülen's politically favorable relationship with Erdoğan eventually fell apart

Gülen was once an ally of Turkish leader Erdoğan – the Wall Street Journal called it a “crumbling political marriage of convenience” in 2014 – but their relationship fell apart after Gülen criticized Erdoğan over a corruption investigation that began this year and suggested that his movement was challenging Erdoğan's could be incumbent party. It was a “breakup of the broad, Islamist-rooted coalition that has ruled Turkey since 2002,” the Journal wrote. Gulen continued to lead his followers from a compound in the Pennsylvania mountains where Turkish authorities said he planned the 2016 coup attempt.

Gülen's death removes a thorn in the relationship between the US and Turkey

The 2016 attempt to overthrow Erdoğan was short-lived and the Turkish leader immediately pointed the finger at Gülen, labeling him a terrorist, but Gülen denied the allegations. After his death, Turkish news outlets considered pro-government published articles saying he had left a “dark legacy” after leading a shadowy criminal network “disguised as a religious movement.” The Turkish authorities had accused the US of giving Gülen refuge and demanded his extradition. His death “eliminates a top issue in Turkey-US relations,” said Turkish journalist and Brookings fellow Aslı Aydıntaşbaş. The movement has now “lost all influence in Turkey but continues to exist abroad. It is likely to be fragmented now, with some supporters hoping to reconcile with Turkey,” Aydıntaşbaş said.