Turkish court rejects US pastor’s appeal to end arrest

ANKARA

A criminal high court in the Aegean province of Izmir on Wednesday rejected American Pastor Andrew Craig Brunson's appeal to end his house arrest and lift a travel ban on him.

Recently, the court had allowed Brunson to be moved from jail and placed him under house arrest in view of his "health problems".

Brunson is charged with spying for the PKK -- a designated terrorist group in the U.S. and Turkey -- and the Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the defeated July 2016 coup attempt in Turkey which martyred 251 people and injured thousands.

Reporting By Omer Sut: Writing by Munira Abdelmenan Awel