A Turkish court ruled on Friday that the US evangelical Christian pastor at the centre of a bitter diplomatic row between Ankara and Washington should be released, a move that could be the first step towards mending ties between the NATO allies.

The court passed a three years and one-and-a-half-month sentence on Brunson, who had been charged with terrorism offences, but said he would not serve any further time because he had already been detained since October 2016.

Witnesses said Brunson wept as the decision was announced. Before the judge's ruling, the pastor told the court: 'I am an innocent man. I love Jesus, I love Turkey.'

The case against Brunson, an evangelical preacher from North Carolina who has lived in Turkey for more than 20 years and was arrested two years ago, had led to US tariffs against Turkey and drawn condemnation from President Donald Trump.

Brunson was charged with links to Kurdish militants and supporters of Fethullah Gulen, the cleric blamed by Turkey for a failed coup attempt in 2016. Brunson denied the accusation and Washington had demanded his immediate release.

Earlier, witnesses told the court that testimonies attributed to them against the pastor were inaccurate, heightening expectations that Brunson could be released and returned to the United States.

Brunson appeared in the courtroom in the western coastal town of Aliaga wearing a black suit, white shirt and red tie. His wife Norine looked on from the visitors' seating area as he listened to testimony from defence and prosecution witnesses.

'I do not understand how this is related to me,' Brunson said after the judge questioned one of a series of witnesses. He said the judge was asking the witness about incidents Brunson was not involved in.

Brunson had become cause celebre among religious freedom advocates, who hailed his release.

Dr Ronnie Floyd, president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, said: 'For two years, Christians in America and across the world have hit the floor with their knees in prayer for Andrew Brunson's release from his Turkish imprisonment. Today, our prayers were answered.

'I'm so thankful we have an administration that not only has made religious freedom one of its top priorities but has fought day and night for people who like Brunson have been imprisoned for their faith. As we celebrate Pastor Brunson's release, let us continue praying for the men and women who are still behind bars and facing persecution for their faith. As Scripture says, "Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body" (Hebrews 13:3).'

Russell Moore, head of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, tweeted: 'The release of pastor Andrew Brunson is an answer to the prayers of millions of Christians around the world. We pray that this crisis will remind us to continue to pray for those imprisoned by oppressive regimes around the world because of their religious faith.'

Additional reporting by Reuters.