ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION ATTENTIONS EDS, THIS STORY IS BEING REFILED WITH A NEW HEADLINE, CORRECTING THE ORIGINAL WHICH STATED HE WAS RELEASED FROM PRISON.

BRUNSON WAS UNDER HOUSE ARREST PRIOR TO HIS RELEASE.

APOLOGIES FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.

STORY: The American evangelical Christian pastor at the center of a row between Ankara and Washington arrived at his home in Turkey on Friday after a Turkish court ruled he could go free, a move that may signal a major step towards mending ties between the allies.

Andrew Brunson arrived at his home in Turkey's coastal province of Izmir, a Reuters cameraman said, having left the courthouse in a convoy of cars.

He was released after the court sentenced him to three years and 1-1/2 months in prison on terrorism charges, but said he would not serve any further jail time.

The pastor has lived in Turkey for more than 20 years and was put in prison two years ago and has been under house arrest since July.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has imposed sanctions on Turkey in an attempt to secure Brunson's freedom, tweeted: "PASTOR BRUNSON JUST RELEASED.

WILL BE HOME SOON!" Dressed in a black suit, white shirt and red tie, the North Carolina native wept as the decision was announced, witnesses said.

Before the judge's ruling he had told the court: "I am an innocent man.

I love Jesus.

I love Turkey." After the ruling, Brunson's lawyer told reporters the pastor was likely to leave Turkey.

The U.S. military has a plan to fly Brunson back to America on a military aircraft, officials told Reuters.

The diplomatic stand-off over Brunson, who had been pastor of the Izmir Resurrection Church, had accelerated a sell-off in Turkey's lira currency, worsening a financial crisis.

Brunson had been accused of links to Kurdish militants and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the cleric blamed by Turkey for a coup attempt in 2016.

Brunson denied the accusation and Washington had demanded his immediate release.

Witnesses told the court in the western town of Aliaga that testimonies against the pastor attributed to them were inaccurate.

Brunson's wife Norine looked on from the visitors' area.