Turkish court hears witnesses in US pastor's trial

A Turkish court on Friday heard witnesses in the trial of U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson, a case at the heart of a diplomatic row between Washington and Ankara.

The case against Brunson, an evangelical preacher from North Carolina who has lived in Turkey for more than 20 years, has led to U.S. sanctions and tariffs against Turkey and drawn condemnation from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump's administration said on Thursday it was hopeful that Brunson could be freed at the hearing, but the State Department said it was unaware of any deal with the Turkish government for his release.

An NBC media report on Thursday said a secret deal between Washington and Ankara had been reached to secure Brunson's release.

The pastor is charged with links to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Brunson appeared in the courtroom in the western coastal town of Aliağa, İzmir wearing a black suit, white shirt and red tie. His wife Norine looked on from the visitors' seating area as he listened to testimony from defense and prosecution witnesses.

Brunson's detention deepened a rift between NATO allies Washington and Ankara, who are also at odds over the Syrian war and Turkey's plan to buy missile defenses from Russia. The row has also exacerbated a slide in the lira's value which has lost 40 percent against the dollar this year.

Jailed or held under house arrest since October 2016, Brunson faces up to 35 years in jail if convicted.

Despite pressure from the Trump administration, Erdoğan has insisted that he has no sway over the judiciary and the courts will decide Brunson's fate.