The Turkish government failed to provide sufficient evidence for the extradition of US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen, accused by Ankara of masterminding a 2016 coup attempt, former US national security adviser John Bolton said, according to the Ahval news website.
Gülen denies any involvement with the failed coup.
Bolton said he does not believe US President Donald Trump was involved in the decision to deny Ankara’s requests for extraditing Gülen and that the Turkish government repeatedly submitted the same documents, which lacked evidence of the cleric’s involvement in the failed putsch, Bolton told the T24 news site on Monday.
Turkey has sent multiple extradition requests to the US government while pursuing a worldwide crackdown on followers of Gülen in the aftermath of the failed coup.
“Trump did not play a role [in the rejection of the extradition requests],” Bolton told T24. “The decisions were generally made by the Department of Justice.”