Summary First hearing was set for January 6, with Gulen expected to be tried in absentia
ISTANBUL (AFP) - An influential Turkish cleric will go on trial in absentia in January on terrorism charges for allegedly conspiring to bring down President Recep Tayyip Erdogan through a vast government corruption probe, local media reported Monday.
Fethullah Gulen, a former ally of Erdogan turned arch-enemy who lives in exile in the United States, is charged with "running a terrorist group" which launched a probe into the president s inner circle in 2013.
The first hearing was set for January 6, with Gulen expected to be tried in absentia, news agency Dogan reported.
The Istanbul court also issued a fresh arrest warrant for Gulen after judges approved the 1,453 page-long indictment against him and 69 other suspects.
Erdogan accuses Gulen of trying to topple him by persuading allies in Turkey s police force and judiciary to launch a vast probe into government corruption in December 2013, which led to the resignation of four ministers.
Turkey s authorities responded by purging both the police force and judiciary of pro-Gulen elements and arresting news editors and businessmen.
The cleric, who left for the US in 1999 to escape charges of anti-secular activities by the government at the time, denies the latest allegations.
Turkish authorities have ramped up their campaign against Pennsylvania-based Gulen in recent months ahead of the November 1 snap polls.
The movement played a part in the early electoral success of Erdogan s Islamist-rooted AK party but the relationship between the cleric and president degenerated as the latter became increasingly worried about Gulen s bid for power.
