Turkish court frees US Consulate employee’s wife, child

ISTANBUL

An Istanbul court has released the wife and daughter of a U.S. Consulate employee after questioning them over alleged links to the Gülen network, a judicial source said on Oct. 16.

The judge released the wife and child of the suspect identified as N.M.C., a Turkish employee at the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, on condition they do not travel abroad and with an obligation that they provide their signatures at a police station every week, said the source.

The wife and child were detained Oct. 9 in the Black Sea province of Amasya for suspected links to the Gülen network, accused of being behind last year’s failed coup attempt. The two were then transferred to Istanbul.

N.M.C was also summoned to provide testimony by Istanbul prosecutors on the same day regarding similar allegations.

The questioning followed the arrest of Turkish national Metin Topuz, also a consulate employee, on terror charges, who is also accused of having alleged links to the Gülen network.

His arrest prompted a diplomatic crisis between Washington and Ankara, with the two allies mutually suspending non-immigrant visa services at their diplomatic facilities.