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In Turkey, Brunson was a spy who had attempted to overthrow the government during a coup attempt in 2016. But for US officials, he was a member of the innocent Christian family who had been detained wrongly.
The debate has severely tested relations between the two nations and the possibility of significant sanctions and new threats. So who exactly is Brunson and how did the pastor become a key figure in US-Turkish relations?
Brunson, 50, was born in North Carolina and is an evangelical Presbyterian pastor who worked in a church in Izmir, on the Aegean coast of Turkey.
A Turkish court on Friday sentenced Brunson to three years and one month in prison, but decided to release him according to his time, as well as the manner in which he was conducted during the proceedings, said his lawyer. Prosecutors sought to obtain a 10-year sentence of imprisonment.
After his release, Brunson quickly left his home in Izmir, Turkey, and headed to the airport. He landed at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany before traveling to Washington, a senior US administration official said late Friday.
The ACLJ said that Brunson had been arrested mainly because of his Christian faith. US officials also said the charges were unfounded.
In July, Turkey released Brunson under house arrest and ordered him to wear an electronic surveillance device. The official Anadolu news agency said the Turkish court's decision was due to his health problems.
At the time, several US officials praised the setting in house arrest, while claiming that he should be totally released.
"We have seen no credible evidence against Mr Brunson and call on the Turkish authorities to settle his case immediately, transparently and fairly," said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in July.
The White House has repeatedly called for his release
Even before going on to house arrest, the White House has repeatedly called for the release of Brunson during talks with Turkish officials. This push has since degenerated into threats of economic sanctions.
Trump tweeted about Brunson several times. The first time, in April, when Trump tweeted that Brunson was "persecuted in Turkey for no reason".
"They call him a spy, but I'm more of a spy than him … I hope he'll be allowed to go home to his beautiful family, to which he belongs!"
On July 18, Trump said that the fact that Turkey does not release Brunson was a "total shame," he wrote in a tweet bearing the name of Erdogan's account.
"A total shame that Turkey is not releasing a respected American pastor, Andrew Brunson, from prison – he has been held hostage for too long," said Trump.
"I know his faith will support him, but he should not be," Pence said at the ministerial conference on the promotion of religious freedom. "Pastor Andrew Brunson deserves to be free."
Turkish officials have strongly criticized the threat of US sanctions.
Hami Aksoy, spokesman for Turkey's Foreign Ministry, said the threats were "unacceptable". and ignored the US-Turkish alliance.
Turkey has requested a prisoner exchange
In May, Erdogan asked why the United States was seeking Brunson's release even though they were refusing to extradite Fethullah Gulen. Gulen is an exiled cleric living in Pennsylvania that the Turkish government accuses of being behind the failed coup attempt.
"(Gulen) is staying there, and he's not a convict, he's not even detained," Erdogan said. "And we're asking for his extradition, and he's not being extradited to us, but there's a Brunson pastor here, who is currently being prosecuted – and he would be associated with terrorist organizations, and you're asking for it?"
"Give us the pastor, they say, well, you also have a pastor, give it back to us, we'll give you back (Brunson)," said Erdogan.
Erdogan's comments "created the perception that Brunson had been illegally arrested as an exchange currency," according to Fadi Hakura, who runs the Turkey Project at Chatham House in London.
Sarah El Sirgany and Gul Tuysuz of CNN contributed to this report.
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