PARIS – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday lashed out at aFrench reporter who asked him about claims that Ankara sent arms to Syria.

Erdogan told the journalist he was talking like a member of an outlawedgroup blamed for last year’s failed coup in Turkey.

After Erdogan’s talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, thereporter asked about a story from 2015 in the Cumhuriyet newspaper whichallegedly proved Turkey had sent weapons to Syria.

Erdogan has always pinned the scandal on the US-based preacher FethullahGulen.

Turkey blames Gulen for the 2016 failed coup and accuses him of running agroup called the Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO). Gulen denies thecharges.

“Those are the words of FETO. You should learn not to speak with the wordsof FETO,” Erdogan told the journalist after asking him to repeat thequestion.

The journalist could be heard insisting in French: “I am speaking as ajournalist!”

“When you ask your questions, be careful on this point. And do not speakwith the words of another,” warned the Turkish leader.

“And I want you to know, you do not have someone before you who will easilyswallow this,” Erdogan added.

The issue had first erupted in January 2014 when prosecutors in southernTurkey uncovered trucks heading to Syria that they said were NationalIntelligence Organisation (MIT) vehicles stuffed with arms.

Ankara later charged those involved in the probe with membership of theGulen movement.

“Those who carried out those operations were Gulenist prosecutors. Now theyare in prison,” said Erdogan icily.

In apparent reference to American arms supplies to Syrian Kurdish militiathat have angered Turkey, he added: “You ask me that question but why don’tyou ask me why the United States sent 4,000 trucks with arms to Syria?”