US pastor back in court in Turkey

A Turkish court will rule on Friday on the detention of Andrew Craig Brunson – a US pastor who is at the centre of a diplomatic row between Washington and Ankara.

Brunson left his house early on Friday to the hearing amid reports he could be released.

The Trump administration is hopeful that Brunson could be freed at the hearing, but the State Department has said it was unaware of any deal with the Turkish government for his release.

In addition to the US State Department, Vice President Mike Pence, speaking at a briefing, declined to confirm any deal between Turkey and US, but he voiced hope for Brunson's release.

Special operations forces and riot police took high security measures in the street where Brunson is under house arrest.

Turkey-US tensions

Brunson has been under arrest since December 2016 and under house arrest since July. 

He was arrested on charges of espionage and for his alleged links to the PKK and Fetullah Terror Organisation (FETO), which is behind the defeated July 2016 coup attempt. 

He has denied the accusations.

The arrest of the pastor soured Turkey-US relations and opened the proverbial Pandora's Box, with the US supporting YPG, a PKK terror group offshoot in the Syria war all the while refusing to extradite FETO leader Fetullah Gulen to Turkey.

The case against the evangelical preacher from North Carolina who has lived in Turkey for more than 20 years, triggered a diplomatic row between Ankara and Washington with US slapping tariffs against Turkey.

Despite pressure from the Trump administration, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted that he has no sway over the judiciary and that the courts will decide on Brunson's fate.