Turkey officially requests U.S. to extradite Gulen

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim confirmed on Tuesday that an official request has been sent to the U.S. government for the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, who was accused by Ankara of plotting a failed military coup.

"We have no doubt on the source of this vicious coup and we know all the details over who guided it and how." Yildirim said.

The Turkish government claimed the failed coup was organized by followers of Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday that his country has "a formal process for dealing with extradition requests" and asked Turkey to provide evidence of Gulen's involvement in the coup attempt.

"It is already clear," the prime minister responded, adding that "we will provide them with a pile of evidence."

The U.S. extraditing Gulen would be the "greatest sign of solidarity," the deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Tuesday.

When asked whether the Turkish government is considering any strategic help from the U.S. after the coup, the deputy prime minister responded that "sending Gulen to Turkey would be the number one solidarity display."

More than 290 people were killed Friday in a failed coup in Turkey, which has strained Ankara's ties with the U.S. amid Turkey's accusations that the U.S. is harboring Gulen. Endit