Fahrettin Altun, the head of Turkey’s Presidential Communication Directorate, said on Sunday that Fethullah Gülen, a US-based Islamic cleric, and his followers were a threat to the American people.
“Dear Americans, you are very wrong if you believe Fetullah Gülen’s cult is only Turkey’s problem,” Altun tweeted, “It is very much yours since his sinister cult embezzles American tax payers moneys.”
There are nearly 200 charter schools run by individuals affiliated with the Gülen movement in the US, according to the Turkish media.
Turkey accuses Gülen and his followers of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt against the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, although they strongly deny any involvement.
Altun’s tweet also included a four-minute video portraying the movement as a dangerous criminal organization and a hashtag, #BewaretheyareEverywhere.
The Erdoğan government has been conducting a large-scale crackdown targeting the followers of Gülen since the coup attempt and has jailed some 70,000 people on terrorism charges.