A Turkish court ruled on Wednesday to keep Metin Topuz, an employee of the US Consulate General in İstanbul, in detention during his trial on espionage, coup and terror charges, the Diken news website reported.
A Turkish translator for the Drug Enforcement Agency at the consulate, Topuz has been behind bars for nearly two years, an issue that has been a source of discord between Turkey and the US, which insists he is innocent.
The charges brought against him include espionage, participating in a coup attempt in July 2016 and membership in the faith-based Gülen movement, which Turkey accuses of masterminding the failed putsch.
Topuz’s case also include accusations of being in frequent contact with several former Turkish prosecutors and high-ranking police officers who led a 2013 corruption probe in Turkey, which the Turkish government has described as a “judicial coup attempt” by the movement.