Andrew Brunson: US pastor leaves Turkey after release

A US pastor has left Turkey after more than two years in detention in a case that badly strained ties with the US.

Andrew Brunson left from the western city of Izmir in a US military plane bound for Germany, his lawyer said, BBC reported.

President Donald Trump said Mr Brunson would probably visit the White House on Saturday after landing in the US.

Earlier, a Turkish court sentenced Mr Brunson to three years in jail - but freed him because of the time he had already spent in detention.

He was arrested over alleged links to political groups, including the banned Gulenist movement, after a failed coup attempt in 2016.

Additional espionage charges against him were dropped.