American Pastor Brunson Expected To Arrive In US On Saturday - White House

Fakhir Rizvi Published October 13, 2018 | 02:06 AM

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th October, 2018) American Pastor Andrew Brunson is expected to arrive in Joint Base Andrews in the US state of Maryland on Saturday, according to White House pool report.

Brunson has cleared Turkish air space and is expected to arrive at Joint Base Andrews at noon on Saturday after making a stop in Germany, the pool report said on Friday citing White House spokesman Judd Deere.

Earlier in the day, a court in Izmir sentenced Brunson to three years, one month and 15 days in prison, but released him from house arrest, counting the time already served, which means he will not have to serve more time in custody.

Brunson was detained in 2016 over his alleged ties to the movement of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, which Turkey holds responsible for orchestrating the failed military coup of 2016. The pastor was released from prison in late July, only to be moved to house arrest.

Brunson's arrest significantly dampened US-Turkish relations. Following the pastor's detention, the United States imposed sanctions against Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and doubled previously levied import tariffs on Turkish aluminum and steel to 20 percent and 50 percent, respectively.