 The Turkish government stated Gülen was behind the coup (which Gülen denied) and said the United States was harboring him.Gülen has suggested the coup was in fact a "self-coup" carried out by Erdoğan to consolidate his grip on power, a view shared by some political analysts and Turks.Events surrounding the coup attempt and the purges in its aftermath reflect a complex power struggle between Islamist elites in Turkey.