Fethullah Gulen's nephew handed over to Turkish secret agents

Turkish security services have seized a nephew of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen and taken him back to Turkey, media outlets announced Monday.

Selahaddin Gulen had been accused of being a member of an outlawed organisation headed by his uncle. He had been detained in Kenya since May 3, 2021, before he was handed over to the Turkish authorities.

Turkish officials were not involved in the operation in Kenya, officials aware of the developments said, adding it was all political.

It is not clear how and why those behind his detention in Kenya decided to hand him over to Turkey because there were court proceedings on his case and orders had been issued on his detention.

His wife Serriye, a teacher in Kenya, said in a video on social media that her husband had gone missing in Nairobi in early May.

Turkey's Anadolu news agency published a photograph of Selahaddin in handcuffs, with Turkish flags on each side.

The outlet did not say if his capture—carried out by Turkey's National Intelligence Organisation (MIT)—had been made in agreement with Kenya.

His uncle Fethullah Gulen has been accused of masterminding a failed military coup in 2016, which killed 251 people and left more than 2,000 injured. Gulen is a longtime foe of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Officials linked to Gulen's movement said on social media that Selahaddin had been "kidnapped" in Kenya, as they launched a campaign calling for his release.

Selahaddin is accused of belonging to the 'FETO terrorist organisation', the description used by Ankara for Fethullah Gulen's movement. His lawyers had moved to court to seek orders to have him produced by the police.

Selahaddin is believed to have been abducted while on his way to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters along Kiambu Road, where he was seeking the assistance of Interpol to help clear his name over allegations that he was involved in criminal activities in Turkey.

The abduction came days before a ruling by the High Court in Kiambu on a matter challenging his extradition to Turkey.

Selahaddin, who arrived in Kenya on October 17, 2020, on a tourist visa from the US, had planned a meeting with officials from Interpol offices in Nairobi. His mission, according to his lawyers, was to ask Interpol to clear his name from the list of wanted men.

He filed documents in Kiambu on January 28, 2021, and asked the court to block his extradition until the case challenging his expulsion was heard and determined.

He attributed his intended extradition to the 2016 attempted coup and the subsequent crackdown by the Turkish government on people perceived to be affiliated with the movement.

“That the real motive behind the issuance of the Red notice is that in 2016 (when I lived in the US), there was a failed coup attempt in Turkey. It is suspected that one Fethulla Gulen (my uncle) may have supported the coup.”

The proceedings before the Kiambu law courts were, however, stopped by the High Court in Kiambu where Selahaddin sought further orders to stop his extradition.

His lawyers did not respond to queries over the latest developments.

Other officials said Selahaddin had successfully applied to be a refugee while in Kenya.

It’s not clear how this was overturned. Gulen, a preacher, who lives in Pennsylvania, insists he is the head of a peaceful network of charities and companies and denies any links to the 2016 coup bid.

But Erdogan, who was once allied with Gulen, describes him today as the leader of a "terrorist" group, which seeks to infiltrate and overthrow his government.

Since the failed coup, Turkey has "repatriated" dozens of people accused of belonging to Gulen's network, regardless of the repercussions such actions may cause abroad.

The kidnapping of six Turkish nationals in Kosovo by MIT agents in 2018 sparked a political crisis in the Balkan country, leading to the sacking of its interior minister and intelligence chief.

Ankara has also put pressure on many countries, especially in the Balkans, Central Asia and Africa, to close schools linked to the "Gulenist" movement.

Kenya refused in 2016 to close six establishments despite Ankara's insistence.

In 1999, Turkish services arrested the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, in Kenya.

Ocalan remains imprisoned in Turkey. The PKK has waged an insurgency against Turkey since 1984 and is blacklisted by Ankara's Western allies.

The raids continue against alleged Gulen members, with almost daily police operations to arrest suspects across the country.

Since 2016, more than 140,000 public sector workers including teachers and judges have also been sacked or suspended over suspected Gulen ties.