Flynn’s spokesman Price Floyd claims that US media reports about an alleged meeting between former US national security adviser Michael Flynn and Turkish officials on the issue of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen’s extradition are false.

US media reports about an alleged meeting between former US national security adviser Michael Flynn and Turkish officials on the issue of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen’s extradition are false, Flynn’s spokesman Price Floyd said.

"The claim made by Mr. Woolsey that General Flynn, or anyone else in attendance, discussed physical removal of Mr. Gulen from the United States during a meeting with Turkish officials in New York is false. No such discussion occurred. Nor did Mr. Woolsey ever inform General Flynn that he had any concerns whatsoever regarding the meeting, either before he chose to attend, or afterwards," Floyd said in an emailed statement to The Hill on Friday.

Earlier in the day, The Wall Street Journal reported citing former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director James Woolsey that Flynn held talks with Turkish officials while serving as an adviser to the campaign of US President Donald Trump, discussing ways to remove Gulen, who is suspected by Ankara of masterminding the July 2016 coup attempt, from the United States.

Gulen has been living in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999. He has denied the allegations of involvement in the military coup attempt in Turkey.

The failed coup attempt in July 2016 left over 200 people killed and thousands wounded. Following the attempt, the Turkish authorities detained tens of thousands of people, the majority of whom were accused of ties to the Gulen movement.

Ankara has repeatedly asked the United States to extradite Gulen.