Turkey denies report of plan to kidnap cleric Gulen from US
Turkey on Sunday dismissed as "ludicrous and groundless" a report that Turkish officials may have discussed kidnapping a US-based Muslim cleric in exchange for millions of dollars.
On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Special Counsel Robert Mueller was investigating an alleged plot involving former US National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and his son to forcibly remove Fethullah Gulen and hand him over to Ankara for as much as $15 million.
Turkey blames Gulen for last year's failed coup attempt. Gulen denies the claim.
In a statement on Twitter, Turkey's embassy in Washington reiterated demands that the US extradite Gulen so he can stand trial. The embassy said Turkey has been working with US agencies to provide evidence of Gulen's culpability and rejected "allegations that Turkey would resort to means external to the rule of law."
