Gullen house in USA attacked

A security guard fired a “warning shot” in response to an apparent intruder at Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen’s compound in the Poconos on Wednesday morning, prompting a response by Pennsylvania State Police.

An unidentified male, who appeared to be armed, attempted to enter the Golden Generation Worship and Retreat Center property on Mount Eaton Road in Ross Township, Monroe County, around 8:30 a.m., according to a statement from Gulen’s non-profit, the Alliance for Shared Values.

After the guard fired the shot into the air, the male fled the scene, according to the statement. No injuries were reported, and police have since left the scene.

State police at Lehighton described the male as a Caucasian wearing all dark clothing. Troopers completed a search of the area but were unable to locate him. They did not say whether the male was armed.

Pennsylvania State Police were called to Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen’s compound in the Poconos on Wednesday after a security guard fired a warning shot into the air in response to an apparent intruder. (The guard’s weapon was fired in the area where the male was located outside the security gate, according to state police, who said the investigation is continuing.

In its statement, the Alliance for Shared Values said staff at the compound is fully cooperating with state police in the investigation.

Alliance officials said the armed entry comes on the heels of a statement from Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin that Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization would launch overseas “operations” against supporters of Gulen.

“It is well-known that the Turkish government under (Turkish President) Recep Tayyip Erdogan has devised kidnapping plots against Mr. Gulen, as well as executed successful kidnappings of his supporters around the world,” said Alliance officials in a prepared statement Wednesday afternoon.

Gulen is a reclusive Muslim cleric who leads a movement that is critical of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He resides on the gated, 26-acre compound and has lived in the U.S. for nearly 20 years.