Trump threatens Turkey with sanctions against detained American pastor

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States would impose significant sanctions on Turkey for its detention of US pastor Andrew Brunson and asked Ankara to release him immediately, the latest quarrel between NATO allies [19659002]. on Turkey for their longstanding detention of Pastor Andrew Brunson, a great Christian, a family man and a wonderful human being who is suffering tremendously, this innocent man of faith should be released immediately! Trump tweeted Wednesday

On Wednesday, a court in Turkey ruled that Brunson, who was detained for 21 months, should be transferred to house arrest.

Brunson, who hails from North Carolina and worked in Turkey for more than 20 years, was accused of helping the Gulen group which, according to Ankara, was behind a military coup. missed in 2016. He denied the charges but faces up to 35 years in prison if he is found guilty.

Clash of individuals, Kurdish forces [19659006] United States Vice President Mike Pence had issued a similar statement shortly before Trump's tweet

"To President Erdogan and the Turkish government, I have not been able to …" I have a message on behalf of the President of the United States of America: release Pastor Andrew Brunson now or be "If Turkey does not take immediate steps to release this man of innocent faith and send him back to America, the United States will impose significant sanctions on Turkey until Pastor Andrew Brunson is free, "said Pence.At an event organized by the US State Department, Erdogan said that Turkey would extradite no one to the United States until after receiving Fethullah Gulen, the cleric who lives in Pennsylvania, allied with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, until their public fall. of 2013 led the government to declare that Gulen's network was a terrorist group.

Turkey has also publicly criticized the criminal prosecution in the United States against a state official, Halkbank Mehmet Hakan Atilla and Reza Zarrab a trader in turkish gold -Iranian.

Andrew Craig Brunson, an evangelical pastor from Black Mountain, NC, arrives at his home in Izmir, Turkey on Wednesday. Brunson faces espionage charges that could result in a long prison sentence in Turkey, where he lived for several years (Emre Tazegul / Associated Press)

Charges against several bodyguards and other men by Erdogan in May 2017 The fight with protesters outside the residence of the Turkish ambbadador in Washington, DC, was dropped in March

Conflicts over individual cases arise while the two countries are clashed over the war in Syria. support for Kurdish YPG fighters or risk confronting Turkish forces on the ground in Syria. Turkey considers that the group linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is banned at home, the Americans using the fighters in its efforts to root out militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (IS) [19659002]. 18 months since the coup d'état by a disputed referendum and recent re-election which, with a close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, concerned the partners of NATO.

Since the coup d'etat, the Turkish government has moved to purge or arrest thousands of people who, according to him, were involved or sympathized with the Gülen movement, including from the civil service, police, universities and the media.