The US is increasing pressure on Turkey to try to secure the freedom of American pastor Andrew Brunson. While the leaders of the two Nato allies clash with each other, Mr Brunson's fate hangs in the balance.
US President Donald Trump tweeted earlier this week that Mr Brunson was being held “hostage” in Turkey. Mr Brunson should be released, he said.
Mr Brunson has been held for almost two years because of his alleged links to political groups that are outlawed in Turkey and he is now under house arrest. Members of the Protestant evangelical church in the US – part of the president's base of support – have rallied on his behalf, demanding his freedom.
Mr Trump and his aides have amplified their demands and criticised the actions of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A senior US official has wondered aloud whether Turkey could even be considered a true Nato ally, given how Turkish officials have treated Mr Brunson.
“A real Nato ally wouldn't have arrested Brunson in the first place,” the official said.
Mr Trump and Mr Erdogan, says the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Jon Alterman, are in a personal feud – with Mr Brunson as a “pawn”.
Mr Brunson, 50, is originally from Black Mountain, North Carolina, and he runs a small evangelical church in Izmir, Turkey. He has denied any wrongdoing.
US officials have imposed financial sanctions against Turkey and called for Mr…
