Trump wins again - Turkish court FREES American Christian pastor Andrew Brunson

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[h=2]BREAKING NEWS: Turkish court FREES American Christian pastor Andrew Brunson whose arrest for terrorism and treason enraged Trump – meaning he can leave the country[/h]
  • Andrew Brunson faced life in jail if convicted of terror charges and espionage
  • The pastor, originally from North Carolina, has lived in Turkey for 20 years
  • President Donald Trump has said on Twitter that Turkey must free Brunson, 50
  • Trump's tariff on Turkish steel and aluminum imports triggered a currency crisis
 

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A Turkish court ruled on Friday that the government will release American pastor Andrew Brunson from house arrest, sentencing him to three years in jail but saying he will not spend any more time in custody because of the time he has already served.
The court's decision to lift judicial controls meant that evangelical pastor Brunson, at the heart of a diplomatic spat between the two countries, can leave Turkey and return to the United States.
Brunson's arrest in 2016 sparked a diplomatic dispute between Turkey and the Trump administration, which had threatened new sanctions against the Erdogan government.
President Donald Trump tweeted – after international press reported the verdict – that he was '[w]orking very hard on Pastor Brunson!'
He later added in a second tweet: 'My thoughts and prayers are with Pastor Brunson, and we hope to have him safely back home soon!'
And then a third hit Twitter: 'PASTOR BRUNSON JUST RELEASED. WILL BE HOME SOON!'
The fourth hearing of the case against Brunson took place in a prison complex near the western Turkish city of Izmir.
Brunson, an evangelical pastor accused of terror-related charges and espionage, arrived in a secured convoy before daybreak. He had faced up to 35 years in jail.
Brunson, 50, has lived in Turkey for more than two decades. He rejected the charges and strongly maintained his innocence.
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A U.S. embassy official escorts Norine Brunson, the wife of Andrew Brunson, before his trial in Izmir, Turkey, early Friday, October 12

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US pastor Andrew Brunson (C) travels in a police vehicle escorted by Turkish police as he enters Aliaga Prison Court at Aliaga District in Izmir

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President Donald Trump tweeted after international press reported Brunson's release that he was '[w]orking very hard on Partor Brunson, later adding his 'thoughts and prayers' and a prediction that he will have a safe return to the United States

He is one of thousands caught up in the widespread government crackdown that followed a failed coup against the Turkish government in July 2016.
Prosecutors accuse Brunson of committing crimes on behalf of terror groups, linking him to outlawed Kurdish militants and a network led by a US-based Turkish cleric who is accused of orchestrating the coup attempt.
The U.S. maintained that he was being held unjustly, and repeatedly called for his release.
The new hearing came at a time of a new but growing alignment between the U.S. and Turkey over the suspected murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who lived in America and who is feared to have been killed inside the Gulf kingdom's Istanbul consulate.
Turkish police sources have leaked information to a number of news outlets that the Turkish government believes that the Saudi Arabian government ordered Khashoggi's murder.
Some commentators have suggested that in order to procure America intervention - particularly against the Saudis, who Trump considers a firm ally – Turkey should release all of its American hostages – starting with Pastor Brunson.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters Thursday that the US was hopeful he will soon go free, but said she was unaware of any agreement for his release.
 

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A car carrying Norine Brunson, wife of pastor Andrew Brunson, arrives at the Aliaga Prison and Courthouse complex in Izmir

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Turkish security officials stand outside a courthouse before a convoy with US pastor Andrew Brunson sitting inside a car arrives for his trial in Izmir

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Norine Brunson wife of American pastor Andrew Brunson, departs for her husband's court hearing. Brunson has been under house arrest in Izmir, Turkey while awaiting trial

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President Trump has posted a number of tweets about Brunson's case, demanding his release and threatening sanctions on Turkey

The pastor, who is originally from Black Mountain, North Carolina, was imprisoned for nearly two years – detained in October 2016 and formally arrested in December that year – before being placed under house arrest on July 25 for health reasons.
The court's decision failed to improve tensions between the two NATO allies and Washington slapped sanctions on two Turkish officials and doubled tariff on Turkish steel and aluminum imports.
Those moves in August, coupled with concerns over the government's economic management, helped trigger a Turkish currency crisis.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has resisted demands for Brunson's release, insisting that the courts are independent.
But he had previously suggested a possible swap of Brunson and the Pennsylvania-resident Fethullah Gulen - the cleric accused of being behind the coup.
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Turkish police officers stand near the residence of US pastor Andrew Brunson, who is being held under house arrest in Izmir

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Official car of Charge d'Affaires of the U.S. Mission to Turkey Jeffrey M. Hovenier (not pictured) arrives to visit US pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been accused of abetting terrorist groups and supporting Fethullah Gulen, the cleric blamed for the failed coup attempt in 2016

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A person involved in efforts to free Andrew Brunson say the 50-year-old pastor from North Carolina could be freed at his next court appearance on Friday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because officials had not yet reached a final agreement on the release and it could still fall through

Brunson led a small congregation in the Izmir Resurrection Church. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom, with representatives monitoring the trial, has listed him as a 'prisoner of conscience.'
William Devlin, an evangelical pastor from New York spoke to reporters outside the prison, saying hundreds of thousands of Christians are praying for Brunson's release.
Brunson's lawyer took the case to Turkey's highest court last week seeking his release.
 

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