Trump Threatens Sanctions Against Turkey Over Detained Pastor

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WASHINGTON — President Trump said on Thursday that the United States would impose “large sanctions” on Turkey for detaining an American pastor who has been accused of aiding a failed coup attempt there in 2016, and called for his immediate release.

Mr. Trump’s announcement came one day after Andrew Brunson, a 50-year-old evangelical pastor, was moved from jail to house arrest because of health concerns. He is one of 20 Americans charged after the failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, and his case has elevated tensions between the United States and Turkey even as Mr. Trump has sought warmer relations with Mr. Erdogan.

On Thursday, Mr. Trump ratcheted up the pressure for Mr. Brunson’s release, taking to Twitter to promise sanctions for Turkey if he was not freed.

The Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, responded to the sanctions threat with a tweet of his own.

“No one dictates Turkey. We will never tolerate threats from anybody. Rule of law is for everyone; no exception,” Cavusoglu tweeted in English. He sent the post from South Africa, where Mr. Erdogan is attending the annual summit meeting of the so-called BRICs countries of major emerging nations.

Mr. Brunson’s case — and the efforts to free him — has been the focus of an intensive campaign by the Trump administration. Mr. Trump has spoken with Mr. Erdogan by phone about Mr. Brunson, and the president posted a message on Twitter last week urging the Turkish leader to “do something” to release the pastor.

It is not immediately clear which industries in Turkey’s shaky economy would be targeted by the American sanctions, or how quickly they could be lifted if Mr. Brunson is freed. The Treasury Department referred questions about the sanctions to the White House.

Mr. Brunson, who has done missionary work in Turkey for the past 23 years, is on trial on charges of terrorism and espionage, and faces up to 35 years in prison if found guilty of having links to two designated terrorist organizations. One is a movement led by the American-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey accuses of instigating the 2016 failed coup, and the other is the insurgent Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known as the P.K.K.

Mr. Erdogan has repeatedly requested the extradition of Mr. Gulen from the United States, and has suggested that he would hand over Mr. Brunson if American officials agree to send Mr. Gulen, who lives on a guarded estate in Pennsylvania, to Turkey.

Vice President Mike Pence met with Mr. Brunson’s family on Thursday at the State Department. Minutes before Mr. Trump tweeted his announcement of sanctions, Mr. Pence warned that the United States was prepared to impose the financial penalties if the pastor was not released.

In a statement on Wednesday after Mr. Brunson was moved, Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, called the house arrest “a positive development,” but said it was insufficient.

“We have seen no credible evidence against Mr. Brunson, and we call on Turkish authorities to resolve his case immediately in a transparent and fair manner,” Mr. Pompeo said.

Alan Rappeport contributed reporting.

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