Andrew Brunson was arrested in October 2016 in Izmir, Turkey. | Emre Tazegu/AP Photo Trump administration to sanction Turkish officials over imprisonment of American pastor

The Trump administration plans to place sanctions on Turkish officials over the continued imprisonment of an American pastor, Andrew Brunson, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday.

"At the president's direction, the Department of Treasury is sanctioning Turkey's minister of justice and minister of interior, both of whom played leading roles in the arrest and detention of Pastor Brunson," Sanders said. "Any property or interest in property of both ministers within U.S. jurisdiction is blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them."

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Brunson was arrested in October 2016 in Izmir, Turkey.

