Andrew Brunson, a Christian pastor who has lived in Turkey for more than two decades, was indicted on charges of helping the group that Ankara holds responsible for a failed 2016 coup against President Tayyip Erdogan. According to an NBC News report, Brunson faces up to 35 years in prison for allegedly having links to a militant group the U.S. and its NATO ally Turkey consider a terrorist organization and for allegedly communicating sensitive information during a failed July 2016 coup. Referring to demands he has made in the past, Erdogan said Saturday that Brunson's fate is directly tied with the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric living in Pennsylvania who is accused by the Turkish government of staging a failed military coup in the country in 2016. Turkish President Recep Erdogan has responded to the ongoing calls by Christian groups and U.S. President Donald Trump that he release imprisoned U.S. Pastor Andrew Brunson.
The United States warns Turkey of consequences if pastor Andrew Brunson isn't freed.