Former CIA officer denies involvement in attempted coup in Turkey

A retired CIA analyst dismissed accusations that he was involved in last year's failed coup in Turkey, claiming he was a "choice target" following a warrant for his detention.

Graham Fuller, an ex-vice chairman of the CIA's National Intelligence Council who now works as a history professor, told The Associated Press he was accused of being the "CIA handler" of a US-based Muslim cleric.

In an emailed statement late Friday, Fuller refuted claims he was in Turkey "directing the coup attempt."

He said he was speaking to a group of 100 people in Canada that night.

An Istanbul court on Friday had issued a warrant for Fuller's arrest over alleged ties to the Fetullah Gulen Terror Organisation (FETO).

The warrant had been issued as part of a broader FETO investigation by the Terror and Organised Crime Bureau of the Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Fuller, who reportedly helped FETO leader Fetullah Gulen secure US residency in the late 1990s, has been an outspoken supporter of Gulen in the US media.

Turkey accuses FETO and Fetullah Gulen, who has been living in a self-imposed exile in the US since 1999, of orchestrating July 15, 2016 coup attempt which left 250 people dead and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

The judicial sources had said the warrant was issued on charges of violating the Turkish constitution, attempting to overturn the government, interfering in the government’s duties and espionage.

The Istanbul counter-terrorism bureau has carried out a number of high-profile arrests in recent months.

In October, Metin Topuz, a liaison officer between the US Drugs Enforcement Agency and Turkish law enforcement stationed at the US Consulate in Istanbul was arrested over alleged FETO ties.

The arrest sparked a major diplomatic spat between Ankara and Washington.

It also arrested Osman Kavala, a wealthy philanthropist, in October and has secured arrest warrants for former Republican People's Party (CHP) lawmaker Aykan Erdemir, who currently lives and works in the US, and US-based international relations professor Henri Barkey.