US Embassy 'likes' post by FETÖ-linked figure claiming Bahçeli's 'end is near'

The U.S. Embassy in Turkey "liked" a message by a FETÖ supporter on Twitter predicting the end of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) chairman's political career, amid the party's dismissal of rumors claiming that the MHP leader is ill.

The official Twitter account of the embassy liked a message by Ergün Babahan, one of the senior figures of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) who fled Turkey following the July 15 coup attempt.

"The people of Turkey need to get used to Turkish politics without Bahçeli," Babahan said in his tweet, referring to the MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli.

A screenshot shows the aforementioned tweet by FETÖ-linked figure on the U.S. Embassy's official Twitter account

MHP Vice-Chairman Semih Yalçın dismissed the allegations about Bahçeli's health, saying that they are speculative and "aim to create chaos."

Yalçın noted that Bahçeli's physical condition is so well that "it will disappoint people who expect to do whatever they want in the absence of Bahçeli."

The U.S. Embassy did not release an explanation about why they "liked" such a controversial message by a controversial figure, sought in Turkey with a detention warrant.

Babahan reportedly fled Turkey following the FETÖ-led coup attempt in 2016 and currently lives in Montreal, Canada.

He previously worked as a journalist and was criticized for his provocative stance on Twitter, usually threatening individuals in his messages.

For instance, he had threatened the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu following an assassination attempt in Artvin province.

"Everybody who supports fascism will pay the price," Babahan had said following the attempt in 2017.

FETÖ, led by former preacher Fetullah Gülen who currently lives in Pennsylvania in the U.S., has been implicated in a series of trials, ranging from the July 15 coup attempt that killed 249 people to sham trials.

Many high-profile FETÖ supporters fled the country following the July 15 coup attempt and sought asylum in European countries, the U.S. and Canada.

FETÖ has a considerable presence abroad, particularly in the U.S., including private schools that serve as a revenue stream for the terror group. The U.S. is home to a large community of Gülenists, including group leader Fetullah Gülen. Gülen has lived in self-imposed exile on a secluded compound in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1999. The United States is the target of most extradition requests. Turkey has sent seven extradition requests for Gülen to Washington but has seen little progress in his extradition.