A Turkish judge sent Rev. Andrew Brunson to prison in Izmir Dec. 9, 64 days after the U.S. pastor and his wife, Norine, were detained on Oct. 7 under Interior Ministry deportation orders. Although his wife was released on Oct. 19 and given an extended permit to remain in the country, Andrew Brunson has been held since Oct. 20 at the Harmandali Detention Center on the northern edge of Izmir. The 48-year-old was transferred overnight on Dec. 8. to a counter-terrorism center before being brought before an Izmir court Dec. 9 for interrogation.

On Dec. 9, the American Protestant heard for the first time the allegations filed against him, which apparently prompted his arrest and lengthy detention. According to the officiating judge, the “terrorism” charges came from a “secret informant.” The court ruled that the files on Brunson’s case would continue to remain inaccessible to his lawyer, who had not been allowed to meet him until the Dec. 9 hearing. READ MORE