Former Turkish police officer shoots dad over ‘swearing’ at Fethullah Gülen, gets arrested

DÜZCE

DHA photo

A former police officer has shot his own father after he allegedly swore at Fethullah Gülen, a U.S.-based preacher widely believed to have masterminded last year’s failed coup, Doğan News Agency has reported.

The police officer, only identified as Erol K. living in a village in the Kaynaşlı district of the northwestern province of Düzce, reportedly had a quarrel late on Sept. 9 with his 70-year-old father, only identified as Erol Cemal K., who had allegedly insulted and swore at Gülen. He later shot and wounded his father in the foot.

Cemal K. was transferred to the hospital for treatment while gendarmerie teams detained Erol K.

A local court ordered Erol K. to be arrested on Sept. 10 on charges of “attempting to commit voluntary manslaughter.”

In his defense at the court, Erol K. reportedly said he had mistakenly shot his father while he was loading his pistol. However, Cemal K. denied the claims, stating his son shot him after he swore at Gülen.

Erol K. had reportedly resigned from his duty as a traffic policeman in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır three years ago.

Gülen, who has lived in Pennsylvania since 1999, has been charged by Turkish prosecutors with forming an armed terrorist organization dubbed as the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) as well as with orchestrating the attempted takeover.

Ankara has accused Gülen and his network of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.