Fethullah Gülen promises to return to Turkey if extradited

The Muslim cleric Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan blames for masterminding a coup against his government last year promised he would not flee the U.S., where he currently lives, if extradited to Turkey.

"If the United States sees it appropriate to extradite me, I would leave,” Fethullah Gülen told Reuters in an interview published Thursday. The cleric denied Turkish government claims he was planning to escape to Canada.

The interview confirms comments Gülen made in an interview with POLITICO last year.

"In the unlikely event that the extradition matter is decided on political grounds, I have already stated that they don’t need to force me out of the country,” Gülen said. "I will buy my own ticket and go on my own will without blinking an eye.”