Ex-member of FETÖ-linked foundation brought to Turkey

A former executive of Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ)-linked foundation in the U.S. has been brought to Turkey on Friday, according to security sources.

Mehmet Salih Gözegir was deported from the U.S. on Thursday after he was found guilty of sexual abuse of children, said a security source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Gözegir arrived at Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul from Houston under security escort, the source said, adding he was later referred to police headquarters in the city.

He was one of the board members of the Raindrop Foundation -- one of the umbrella organizations of FETÖ in the U.S. -- in 2014. He was detained following a police raid in 2015.

Gözegir, who was in the U.S. for his medical education, was released on $50,000 bail pending trial.

He was expelled from board membership in the foundation and his deportation was decided in June 2018.

The Raindrop Foundation has been operating as the umbrella institution uniting many schools and foundations belonging to FETÖ.

FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

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