The United States said on Tuesday it had not yet received a formal extradition request from Turkey for US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan of masterminding a failed military takeover last week. "We still cannot confirm the physical receipt of an extradition request, we're in touch with Turkish officials," the official told reporters. "They have indicated they will hand it over," the official said. [related-post] Watch Video: What's making news The US Justice Department also said it had not received an extradition request from the Turkish government. "If and when we receive a request, we will evaluate that request based on the extradition treaty that was signed by the U.S. and Turkey more than 30 years ago," said Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr. Earlier, Turkey's Justice Ministry said earlier it had sent a dossier to the United States on Gulen, but did not make clear whether that amounted to an official extradition request. Gulen, a 75-year-old former ally of Erdogan, has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since the late 1990s. He has denied any involvement in the abortive coup.
