ISTANBUL: Turkish spies snatched a nephew of a longtime foe of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Kenya and brought him back to Turkey, media and family said on Monday.

Ankara accuses US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen of masterminding a failed coup in 2016 that left hundreds dead and thousands more injured.

Since 2016, Turkey has arrested tens of thousands of people suspected to have links to Gulen.

Turkish state news agency Anadolu said Selahaddin Gulen was brought back to Turkey by agents from the National Intelligence Organisation (MIT), quoting unnamed security sources.

In a video posted on social media on May 20, Selahaddin’s wife confirmed the couple lived in Kenya and that she had not heard from her husband, who taught at a school in Nairobi, since May 3.

Individuals and media 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.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2021