Trump imposes sanctions over Turkey's detaining of minister

© The Associated Press

In this July 25 photo, Andrew Craig Brunson, an evangelical pastor from North Carolina, arrives at his house in Izmir, Turkey.  

Associated Press
WASHINGTON
The White House is announcing that the Treasury Department is imposing sanctions on two Turkish officials over a detained American pastor who is being tried on espionage and terror-related charges.

[post_ads]White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the Trump administration will sanction Turkey's minister of justice and minister of interior over the holding of 50-year-old Andrew Craig Brunson.

The administration says Turkey's Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul and Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu both played leading roles in the organizations responsible for Brunson's arrest and detention.

Brunson, an evangelical pastor, was arrested in December 2016 and jailed. He was recently released to home detention.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said his government won't back down and may "go its own way" if the U.S. imposes sanctions.