Police patrol outside Andrew Brunson's home in Izmir, Turkey
Police patrol outside Andrew Brunson's home in Izmir, TurkeyReuters

A Turkish court decided Friday to release US pastor Andrew Brunson from house arrest. The court sentenced Brunson to three years in jail but said he would not spend any more time in custody because of time already served.

The court's decision means that Brunson can leave Turkey and return to the United States.

In the final arguments, the prosecutor asked for Brunson to be sentenced to up to 10 years in jail for membership of a terror group, but also requested that the court lift the house arrest and travel ban imposed on the pastor, who was first detained in October 2016.

The case against Brunson, an evangelical preacher from North Carolina who has lived in Turkey for more than 20 years, has led to US tariffs and sanctions against Turkey.

The pastor is charged with links to Kurdish militants and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the cleric blamed by the Turkish government for a failed coup attempt in 2016. He has denied the accusation and Washington has demanded his immediate release.