(Bloomberg) -- A Turkish employee of the U.S. consulate in Istanbul went on trial on Tuesday for the first time on charges of espionage, terrorism and playing a role in an attempted overthrow of the government in a case that has strained Turkey’s ties with the U.S.
Metin Topuz, who has been jailed since October, is facing life in prison if convicted for ties to the outlawed network of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric who is accused by the Turkish government of masterminding the failed coup attempt in 2016. Topuz denied the accusations during Tuesday’s hearing, which was attended by U.S. Embassy Charge d’Affaires Jeffrey Hovenier.
“I have had no relationship with FETO throughout my life,” Topuz told the court, using an acronym for Gulen’s movement. “I have not engaged in espionage. I did not commit treason against my homeland. I am innocent.”
The trial, which is expected to run through Thursday, adds yet another complication to repairing Turkey’s relationship with the U.S. The two NATO allies have been feuding over a number of issues, even after Turkey’s release last year of a long-held American pastor.
Topuz’s arrest had sparked a diplomatic spat with the U.S., prompting Washington to temporarily suspend visa services in Turkey. At the time, Topuz testified that he traveled to the U.S. with members of Turkey’s police, who were involved in a 2013 corruption probe that was allegedly backed by Gulen’s network against Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government.
The detention of at least two other people, former NASA scientist Serkan Golge and Hamza Ulucay of the Adana consulate, has also attracted U.S. attention and fueled tensions. Although the U.S. said they’re innocent, they were convicted for ties to the 2016 coup attempt and links to the separatist Kurdish group of PKK, respectively. Ulucay was released earlier this year on time served.
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