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A security officer fired a shot at an intruder from the Fethullah Gulen compound in the Poconos on Wednesday morning, prompting a response from the Pennsylvania state police.
The man, who appeared to be armed, attempted to enter the Ross Township compound in Monroe County at approximately 8:30 am, according to a statement by Gulen's Alliance for Shared Values.
After the guard fired the warning shot, the man fled the scene. Police are looking for the man, but the immediate threat seems to be over, according to the statement.
No injuries were reported and the police have since left the scene.
A person at the scene reported missing a window at a guard post located on the property.
In the statement, the Alliance for Shared Values said that the staff of the forum fully cooperated with the investigation with the police of the state.
Alliance officials said the entry came after a statement by Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin that the Turkish National Intelligence Organization would launch "operations" abroad against supporters. from Gulen.
"It is notorious that the Turkish government under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come up with kidnapping plots against Mr. Gulen and has executed successful kidnappings of his supporters around the world," officials said. the Alliance Wednesday afternoon in a statement.
Gulen is a lonely Muslim cleric who leads a movement that criticizes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He lives in the secure residence of 26 acres and has lived in the United States for almost 20 years.
Trained as an imam or prayer leader, Gulen was noticed in Turkey about 50 years ago, promoting a philosophy mixing a mystical form of Islam with a firm advocacy for democracy, education, of science and interreligious dialogue.
Supporters opened 1,000 schools in more than 100 countries, including approximately 150 taxpayer funded schools in the United States. In Turkey, they ran universities, hospitals, charities, a bank and a large media empire with newspapers, radio and television stations.
Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdogan has long accused Gulen of plotting to overthrow the officially secular government of the security of his Poconos complex.
In July 2016, the Associated Press reported that the Turkish authorities had accused Gülen of being the author of a coup attempt, claiming that he had been killed. "It seems that Gülen is working closely with some military officials against the elected civilian government."
The failed uprising killed at least 270 people and led the Turkish authorities to send the United States a formal request for Gulen's arrest.
Gulen denied any involvement in the coup and said the Turkish government had used the failed uprising as an excuse to suppress its supporters.
In April, a Turkish court issued arrest warrants against Gulen and seven other people related to his religious movement for their alleged involvement in the assassination of the ambassador of Russia in Turkey.
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