Turkish journalist assaulted during broadcast near US residence of FETO terror group leader

WASHINGTON

A man on Saturday assaulted a Turkish journalist during his live broadcast near the residence of FETO terror group leader Fetullah Gulen in the US state of Pennsylvania.

Yunus Paksoy, a reporter with Turkish news channel CNN Turk, was reporting live when a man believed to be supporter of the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) drove towards him with his vehicle.

Later, the footage shows the man emerge from his SUV vehicle and apparently hit Paksoy in the face.

“My glasses and phone flew away, I was attacked. My shirt was torn. I got into my car right now (and) called the police, they’ll be here soon, I will file a complaint. No matter what, you have no right to touch anyone here,” Paksoy said when he resumed his broadcast.

In a call with the reporter, Türkiye’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun offered his “sincerest get-well soon” wishes to Paksoy.

“Our authorities will follow up on this issue and that we will take every step before the US authorities to ensure that those involved in this vile attack receive the punishment they deserve,” said Altun on X.

“We will continue to fight against terrorists who are enemies of Türkiye, wherever they are in the world. We owe our gratitude to truth-loving journalists for shouldering this struggle,” Altun wrote.

The attack came a day after Anadolu filmed the area of the residence with a drone, looking into allegations that the FETO leader had been taken to a place other than the headquarters where he has stayed for many years.

Gulen’s nephew, Ebuseleme Gulen, claimed in a social media post last week that the FETO leader had been kidnapped from his residence.

Anadolu footage showed that the once-full parking lot now had only a few vehicles, and only one person was seen entering or exiting one of the guesthouses in the area.

According to his nephew’s claims, Gulen is being held at an unknown location by Cevdet Turkyolu, known as the “black box” of the organization, along with Barbaros Kocakurt, Mustafa Ozcan, and Gulen’s personal doctor, Kudret Unal.

FETO and its US-based leader Fethullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in which 252 people were killed and 2,734 wounded in Türkiye.

Gulen has long lived in the US state of Pennsylvania. Since the 2016 coup attempt, Turkish leaders have sought the extradition of Gulen, but US officials have not approved this, saying that what Türkiye submitted falls short of the standard required. The refusal to extradite has long been a thorn in the side of Turkish-US relations.

*Islam Dogru contributed to the story

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