Thousands Mourn Fethullah Gülen at New Jersey Prayer Service
The influential Turkish spiritual leader, accused by Turkey of coup involvement, passed away in the U.S. at 83.
- Fethullah Gülen, a prominent Turkish cleric and critic of President Erdogan, died in Pennsylvania, where he lived in self-exile since 1999.
- More than 10,000 mourners attended a funeral service in New Jersey, featuring Koranic readings and tributes to Gülen.
- Gülen's Hizmet movement, which once ran thousands of schools globally, was accused by Turkey of orchestrating the failed 2016 coup.
- Following the coup attempt, Turkey prosecuted hundreds of thousands linked to Gülen, who was stripped of his nationality in 2017.
- Gülen will be buried at the Chestnut Retreat Center in Pennsylvania, where he spent the last 25 years of his life.
Associated Press 