FBI GRILL FLYNN ON TURKISH KIDNAP PLOT

• U.S. President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser is reportedly being questioned by the FBI over claims he discussed removing a Turkish cleric from America for millions of dollars.

Michael Flynn met Turkish government officials last December to discuss the plan, according to claims being looked at by the official investigation into the Trump campaign.

The alleged plot would have seen Flynn and his son paid US$15 million to remove Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric blamed by the Turkish authorities for a recent coup attempt, and fly him to the Turkish prison island of Imrali. This was reportedly discussed at a meeting weeks before Flynn entered the Trump administration.

The claims were made public by the Wall Street Journal and broadcaster NBC, which cited numerous sources. Flynn’s representatives declined to comment.

The news marks another dramatic development in the investigation of Robert Mueller, the special counsel looking into links between Trump’s campaign and Russia. It has already handed criminal charges to three former Trump advisers, one for lying to the FBI and two for money laundering. Trump denies any “collusion” with Russia.

Flynn was a Trump campaign adviser who served in the new administration before he dramatically left office after a scandal about his Russia contacts emerged.

The retired general lasted just 24 days as national security adviser, resigning after misleading Mike Pence, the U.S. vice-president, about his meetings with a Russian ambassador.

Friday, the allegations surfaced about the plan, which is being looked into by Mueller’s operation.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, has blamed Gulen, who lives in America, for remotely leading a coup against his government last summer. Gulen has denied any role.