US slaps sanctions on Turkey ministers as pastor row ramps up

Washington : The United States has hit two top Turkish officials with sanctions over the ongoing detention of an American pastor facing terror charges, heaping pressure on Ankara to release the prisoner fuelling a bitter diplomatic feud. The move targeting Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu further ratcheted up tensions between the NATO allies, with Ankara vowing to retaliate over the measures and what it dubbed an “aggressive attitude.”

Andrew Brunson, who led a Protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir, was placed under house arrest last week after nearly two years in jail on charges of espionage and supporting terror groups. He faces up to 35 years in jail if convicted. “We’ve seen no evidence that Pastor Brunson has done anything wrong, and we believe he’s a victim of unfair and unjust attention by the government of Turkey,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told journalists.