Turkish court orders release of US pastor Andrew Brunson

A Turkish court on Friday ordered the release of the home arrest of a US pastor at the heart of a diplomatic dispute between Turkey and the United States, a day after NBC News announced that the two countries had reached an agreement allowing him to roam freely.

The court sentenced Andrew Brunson to three years and a half months in jail after he convicted for terrorism. But he was released after spending nearly two years in detention.

The native of North Carolina burst into tears when the decision was announced, witnesses said. Previously, he had launched a passionate appeal to the judge: "I am an innocent man, I love Jesus, I love Turkey."

Brunson, 50, has been accused of having links with Kurdish militants and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the cleric that Turkey blames for planning a failed coup d'état attempt in 2016 .

Brunson denied the charges and the Trump government demanded his release, causing a diplomatic stalemate.

After the hearing, President Trump tweeted, "Pastor Brunson has just been released, will be coming home soon."

Touched on the phone, Jacqueline Furnari, Brunson's 20-year-old daughter, told NBC News that she was delighted with this news.

"I'm still in shock," she said from Texas. "It's unbelievable after two years in this ordeal, he's finally home."

Brunson was reportedly returned home in the Turkish coastal province of Izmir after the hearing, according to Reuters. He had to leave for the United States in the next few hours.

Brunson's travel plans were somewhat confusing after the US Center for Law and Justice, a conservative group that was working on the release of the pastor, said he was already on a plane.

On Thursday, NBC News learned that the White House was waiting for Brunson to be released by the Turkish government and to return to the United States in the coming days.

Senior officials said that Brunson had been released under an agreement between the Trump government and the Turkish government in recent weeks. Under the agreement, the United States will lift Trump's sanctions against Turkey in August, after Turkey refused to release Brunson, despite repeated talks between US and Turkish officials.

Earlier Friday, security was strong when Brunson arrived at the courthouse in a convoy of vehicles before sunrise. Brunson appeared in the audience hall dressed in a black suit, a white shirt and a red tie. His wife, Norine, watched the visitors' room as he listened to the testimony of the defense and prosecution witnesses.

"I do not understand how this relates to me," said Brunson after the judge interviewed one of the witnesses who were heard before a lunch break. He said the judge asked the witness about incidents that Brunson was not involved in.

Witnesses also told the court that the previous testimonies attributed to them against the pastor were inaccurate.

One of them denied having told the prosecution witness, Levent Kalkan, that a member of Brunson's church was linked to militants.

"I did not tell Mr Kalkan, I heard him say," said the witness.

"I'm really shocked now," Kalkan replied. Kalkan also told the court that some of his previous testimony had been "misunderstood".

Brunson, who has been living in Turkey for more than two decades, rejected the charges and firmly maintained his innocence. He is one of the thousands of people involved in the widespread government crackdown that followed the failed coup against the Turkish government.

Yuliya Talmazan reported from London; Aziz Akyavaz from Izmir.