U.S. denies role in Turkey's anti-corruption operationin

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Francis J. Ricciardone denied Saturday the report that the United States was behind the ongoing graft probe in Turkey.

Ricciardone refuted the claims that the United States has become involved in the ongoing anti-corruption operation which had shaken the Turkish politics since Dec. 17, according to a statement.

"The United States is in no way involved in the ongoing corruption and bribery operation. Nobody should put Turkey-U.S. relations in danger with unfounded claims," said the envoy.

The statement was seen as a response to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's speech earlier in the day, in which he slapped the corruption probe as "an ill-intentioned move by local and foreign actors targeting the government."

"In recent days, some ambassadors have been engaging in provocative actions. I am calling out to them from Samsun: Do your own business," Erdogan said.

On Tuesday, Turkey was rocked by the country's largest ever bribery investigation, in which sons of four cabinet members were detained and a huge amount of money was seized by authorities in their houses.

On Wednesday, Erdogan slapped the graft probe as a "dirty operation" with international links to undermine Turkey's growing economy.