Ankara: Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric who lives in exile in the US state of Pennsylvania and who once was an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has condemned the ateempted military coup attempt and denied any involvement in it.

"I condemn, in the strongest terms, the attempted military coup in Turkey," he said in an emailed statement. "The government should be won through a process of free and fair elections, not force."