US Offers Assistance Where Possible in Investigation of Turkey Coup Attempt

The United States has offered to assist Turkey is any way possible with the investigation into the attempted coup on Friday night, White House Spokesman Josh Earnest said during a briefing on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Late on Friday, Turkish authorities said that an attempted coup took place in the country. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials have blamed Gulen staying in self-imposed exile in the United States and his supporters for the coup attempt and called on his US counterpart Barack Obama to extradite the cleric, while speaking to a crowd of his supporters.

The coup attempt was suppressed by early Saturday, with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim stating that all coup supporters were identified and would be apprehended as the country was returning to normal life. Over 290 people were killed and hundreds were injured during the events, while nearly 6,000 people have already been detained.

“What the United States has offered to do is to assist where possible in the investigation of what transpired over the weekend,” Earnest stated.

The Turkish government needs to make sure it follows due process and the country’s constitution as it investigates Friday night’s attempted coup, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a briefing on Monday.

“It’s critical for them to exercise restraint, to respect and observe due process and to protect the freedoms that are enshrined in Turkey’s constitution,” Earnest stated.