Officials welcomed home US Andrew Brunson pastor who has flown out of Turkey after being released by a Turkish court following two years in detention.
Brunson, whose detention caused a diplomatic row between Washington and Ankara, left on a US military flight bound for Germany on Friday. The White House said Brunson will arrive at a military base in Maryland on Saturday.
Brunson was greeted at the base by US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, who gave Brunnell a US flag during a refueling stop at an air base.
"When I presented him with the US flag, he immediately kissed it", Grenell said in a tweet.
I welcomed Pastor Brunson & his wife to Germany on their refueling stop. He’s almost home thanks to @realDonaldTrump.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) October 13, 2018
When I presented him with the US flag, he immediately kissed it. #agratefulnation pic.twitter.com/b82gA7PXVr
US President Donald Trump tweeted from a rally in Ohio that he expected to see Brunson in the Oval Office "most likely on Saturday" after a "full check-up" at a US airbase in Germany.
The evangelical pastor was convicted of terror-related charges and sentenced to three years, one month and 15 days in jail on Friday.
But he was immediately freed, taking into account the time already served and good conduct during the trial. The court also lifted his house arrest and overseas travel ban, paving the way for his return to the US.
After the court decision, Brunson travelled to his home and then left for the airport in Izmir province with his wife Norrine.
"This is the day our family has been praying for -- I am delighted to be on my way home to the United States," Brunson said in a statement after his release.
Brunson, 50, was arrested in 2016 as part of the government crackdown in the wake of a failed 2016 coup attempt. He has been under house arrest since July.
Brunson was accused of links with Kurdish rebels and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey blamed for a failed 2016 coup attempt.
Gulen has denied any involvement.
Brunson, who has lived in Turkey for more than 20 years, denied the charges and maintained his innocence.
Friday's court decision ends the friction over his case that caused a crisis in relations between the two NATO allies.
The US claimed was held unjustly and repeatedly called for his release.
With Washington slapping sanctions on Ankara, the crisis also put pressure on the already-falling Turkish lira in August, sparking an economic crisis.
Following the court ruling, an official for the Turkish presidency said the verdict showed the independence of the judiciary in the country.
 |
| Brunson's release is being heralded as a win for Trump [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters] |
"Like the Turkish courts, the Republic of Turkey does not receive instructions from any body, authority, office or person. We make our own rules and make our own decisions that reflect our will," Fahrettin Altun, the presidency's communications director, said in a statement.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted that he had no sway over the judiciary and that the courts would decide on Brunson's fate.
While Brunson's release is expected to ease tensions between the US and Turkey, further strains remain.
NASA scientist Serkan Golge, a dual US-Turkish national, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years in February on terror charges, a term reduced to five years last month.
Two Turkish employees of US diplomatic missions remain in jail. One of them, former Adana consulate staffer Hamza Ulucay, was on Friday denied release in a separate court hearing.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Turkey to free "quickly" other Americans in detention after Brunson was released.
SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies
Officials welcomed home US Andrew Brunson pastor who has flown out of Turkey after being released by a Turkish court following two years in detention.
Brunson, whose detention caused a diplomatic row between Washington and Ankara, left on a US military flight bound for Germany on Friday. The White House said Brunson will arrive at a military base in Maryland on Saturday.
Brunson was greeted at the base by US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, who gave Brunnell a US flag during a refueling stop at an air base.
"When I presented him with the US flag, he immediately kissed it", Grenell said in a tweet.
I welcomed Pastor Brunson & his wife to Germany on their refueling stop. He’s almost home thanks to @realDonaldTrump.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) October 13, 2018
When I presented him with the US flag, he immediately kissed it. #agratefulnation pic.twitter.com/b82gA7PXVr
US President Donald Trump tweeted from a rally in Ohio that he expected to see Brunson in the Oval Office "most likely on Saturday" after a "full check-up" at a US airbase in Germany.
The evangelical pastor was convicted of terror-related charges and sentenced to three years, one month and 15 days in jail on Friday.
But he was immediately freed, taking into account the time already served and good conduct during the trial. The court also lifted his house arrest and overseas travel ban, paving the way for his return to the US.
After the court decision, Brunson travelled to his home and then left for the airport in Izmir province with his wife Norrine.
"This is the day our family has been praying for -- I am delighted to be on my way home to the United States," Brunson said in a statement after his release.
Brunson, 50, was arrested in 2016 as part of the government crackdown in the wake of a failed 2016 coup attempt. He has been under house arrest since July.
Brunson was accused of links with Kurdish rebels and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey blamed for a failed 2016 coup attempt.
Gulen has denied any involvement.
Brunson, who has lived in Turkey for more than 20 years, denied the charges and maintained his innocence.
Friday's court decision ends the friction over his case that caused a crisis in relations between the two NATO allies.
The US claimed was held unjustly and repeatedly called for his release.
With Washington slapping sanctions on Ankara, the crisis also put pressure on the already-falling Turkish lira in August, sparking an economic crisis.
Following the court ruling, an official for the Turkish presidency said the verdict showed the independence of the judiciary in the country.
|
| Brunson's release is being heralded as a win for Trump [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters] |
"Like the Turkish courts, the Republic of Turkey does not receive instructions from any body, authority, office or person. We make our own rules and make our own decisions that reflect our will," Fahrettin Altun, the presidency's communications director, said in a statement.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted that he had no sway over the judiciary and that the courts would decide on Brunson's fate.
While Brunson's release is expected to ease tensions between the US and Turkey, further strains remain.
NASA scientist Serkan Golge, a dual US-Turkish national, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years in February on terror charges, a term reduced to five years last month.
Two Turkish employees of US diplomatic missions remain in jail. One of them, former Adana consulate staffer Hamza Ulucay, was on Friday denied release in a separate court hearing.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Turkey to free "quickly" other Americans in detention after Brunson was released.
SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies
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