Turkey: American pastor on trial for terror let out of jail
ISTANBUL — An American pastor who had been jailed in Turkey for more than 1 1/2 years on terror and espionage charges was released Wednesday and put under house arrest as his trial continues.
Andrew Craig Brunson, 50, an evangelical Christian pastor originally from Black Mountain, North Carolina, was let out of jail to serve home detention because of “health problems,” Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency said.
Anadolu’s report did not specify the nature of Brunson’s health problems. He was arrested in December 2016 and had been in custody since then.
A court in western Izmir province said Brunson would be electronically monitored and barred from leaving his house. He also is prohibited from leaving Turkey, where he has lived for 23 years and served as pastor of the Izmir Resurrection Church.