The U.S. said Sunday it was suspending non-immigrant visa services at its diplomatic facilities in Turkey following the arrest of a consulate employee, prompting Turkey to halt visa services in the U.S. Statement from the Turkish Mission to the U.S., October 8, 2017 pic.twitter.com/4i0BwInOCj — @TurkishEmbassyMetin Topuz is accused of espionage and "attempting to overthrow the Turkish government and constitution." The U.S. statement said the suspension of non-immigrant visa services was "effective immediately" to minimize visitor numbers to the U.S. Embassy and Consulate for now. An infamous brawl during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Washington D.C., in May led to an indictment charging 19 people, including 15 Turkish security officials, with conspiracy to commit a crime of violence. Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the U.S. was pressing Turkey to return a "cleric" while refusing to hand over another "cleric."

Source: CBC News October 08, 2017 19:18 UTC