Turkey: US consulate employee to meet lawyer on Friday

ANKARA

A U.S. Consulate employee, who was arrested last week over alleged links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) behind last year's defeated coup attempt, will meet his lawyer on Friday, Turkey's justice minister said Thursday.

"There was no appeal to the prosecution till yesterday," Abdulhamit Gul told reporters in capital Ankara.

Turkish national Metin Topuz, confirmed by the U.S. Istanbul Consulate as a local employee, was remanded in custody over terror charges by an Istanbul court on Oct. 4.

Gul added that Turkey had not received a request from the U.S. authorities for evidence against the employee.

"If it [a demand from U.S Department of Justice on acquiring evidence regarding the charges] comes, we can always meet," Gul said.

Former U.S envoy to Turkey, John Bass, released a video on Monday explaining the visa suspension decision, but there has yet to be any official comment from Washington.

"Despite our best efforts to learn the reasons for this arrest, we have been unable to determine why it occurred or what, if any, evidence exists against the employee," Bass said.

On Sunday, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara announced it had suspended non-immigrant visa services at all diplomatic facilities in Turkey. In response, Turkey's Washington Embassy suspended non-immigrant visa services in the U.S. citing security concerns.

The decision came after Topuz's arrest, who is linked to FETO, according to a judicial source.

Topuz has been linked to a number of FETO suspects, including police commissioners and former prosecutor Zekeriya Oz, a fugitive accused of attempting to overthrow the government through the use of force, added the source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the attempted coup, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Reporting by Mumin Altas; Writing by Cansu Dikme;