ANKARA, April 29 (RAPSI) - Turkey will begin the extradition process for Islamist preacher Fethullah Gülen from the US, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Tuesday.

Fethullah Gülen is charged with inciting an anti-corruption scandal in late December 2013 as well as illegal wiretapping into the phones of high-profile Turkish politicians and publishing the content of the phone conversations online.

Radikal reports that earlier in an interview with PBS anchor Charlie Rose, Erdoğan spoke about the negative influence of Gülen’s activities on the Turkish governance. Replying to the question of whether Gülen will be extradited, Erdoğan said that he hoped that at least he will be deported.

Turkish officials believe that there is a state within a state in Turkey, by which they mean Hizmet, an anti-government organization led by Fethullah Gülen who currently lives in the US. The preacher denies any involvement in events in Turkey.