Turkish prosecutors seek life sentence for Fetullah Gulen

ISTANBUL

 Turkish prosecutors seek life sentence for U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen on coup and spying charges as part of a probe on what is popularly known as the "parallel state" in Turkey.

An indictment was submitted for approval Thursday to the Public Prosecutor of Istanbul after prosecutors completed an investigation into 69 suspects, including Gulen and former police chief Yakup Saygili.

The indictment calls for aggravated life imprisonment for Gulen, who is accused of mounting a coup attempt against the Republic of Turkey, forming and leading an armed terrorist organization, and involvement in military espionage.

Prosecutors define two graft probes carried out in December 2013 as an attempt to topple the Turkish government, and say that the probes themselves -- allegedly carried out by prosecutors close to Gulen and targeting high-ranking government officials, including cabinet members -- were fraught with irregularities and were intended as a plot against the suspects involved.

The indictment names Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his son Bilal Erdogan, Berat Albayrak, Serhat Albayrak, Hakan Fidan, Ismail Rustu Cirit, Nihat Omeroglu ve Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan as plaintiffs, and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and several ministers and their deputies as victims.

The parallel state is a purported clandestine group of Turkish bureaucrats and senior officials embedded in the country's institutions, including the judiciary and police, led by Gulen and his Hizmet (Service) Movement, plotting to overthrow the elected government.