Turkey places jailed US cleric under house arrest

American Pastor Andrew Craig Brunson, who is facing terror charges in Turkey, has been put under house arrest, according to a Turkish court ruling on Wednesday.

Brunson will be fixed with an electronic ankle bracelet or similar monitoring device and is banned from leaving the country.

Brunson was arrested in Aegean province of Izmir in December 2016; he was charged with committing crimes, including spying for the PKK terror group and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), the group behind the defeated coup attempt of July 2016.

The Izmir 2nd High Criminal Court decided to turn Brunson's detention into house arrest due to his "health problems".

Turkish prosecutors are seeking 35-year jail term for Brunson.

The court decided to allow Brunson to live at his address in Izmir, but barred him from "abandonment of residence" and also imposed a ban on him leaving the country.