A Turkish employee of the United States Consulate in Istanbul charged with espionage and attempting to overthrow the Turkish government will go on trial in March.

 

Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency said Friday the first hearing against Metin Topuz would be on March 26. Topuz, a translator and fixer for the Drug Enforcement Agency at the Istanbul consulate, is accused of links to U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the Turkish government blames for the 2016 coup attempt. Topuz denies the allegations.

 

Topuz has been in pre-trial detention since October 2017. The court ruled that his detention should continue.

 

Topuz’s arrest increased tensions between the two NATO allies in 2017 and led to the suspension of bilateral visa services for more than two months.

 
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