A Turkish journalist was assaulted during a live broadcast outside the compound of Fetullah Gülen, the fugitive ringleader of the Gülenist Terrorist Group (FETÖ), in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Yunus Paksoy, a reporter with the Turkish news channel, CNN Turk, was reporting live when a man, believed to be a supporter of the FETÖ drove toward him with his vehicle.
Later, footage showed the man emerge from his SUV vehicle and 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 telephone call with the reporter, Türkiye's Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun offered his "sincerest get well soon" wishes to Paksoy.
"Our authorities will follow up on this issue and we will take every step before the U.S. 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 Turkish Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack. "Necessary initiatives are being taken with the U.S. authorities for the perpetrators and instigators of this attack to be held accountable before the law," it said in a statement.
The attack came one day after Anadolu Agency (AA) filmed the area of the residence with a drone, looking into allegations that the FETÖ leader had been taken to a place other than the headquarters where he has stayed for many years.
Gülen's nephew, Ebuseleme Gülen, claimed in a social media post last week that the FETÖ leader had been kidnapped from his residence.
AA 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, Gülen is being held at an unknown location by Cevdet Türkyolu, known as the "black box" of the organization, along with Barbaros Kocakurt, Mustafa Özcan, and Gülen's personal doctor, Kudret Ünal.
FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Gülen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in which 252 people were killed and 2,734 wounded in Türkiye.
Gülen has long lived in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Since the 2016 coup attempt, Turkish leaders have sought the extradition of Gülen, but U.S. 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-U.S. relations.
