US Consulate Staffer, Family Released From House Arrest

The house arrest of a Turkish employee of the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul and his family has been cancelled due to health concerns, prosecutors said Tuesday.



Nazmi Mete Canturk and his wife and daughter, charged over reported links with the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), had been under house arrest since January.



But the court retained the ban on the three defendants leaving the country.



FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the July 15, 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.



Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.



*Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur -