Brunson arrives in Washington after being freed from Turkey

U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson and his wife Norrine arrive at the airport in Izmir, Turkey October 12, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Andrew Brunson, the U.S. pastor who had been detained in Turkey for two years, landed at Andrews Air Force base outside Washington, a U.S. religious freedom official wrote on his Twitter account on Saturday afternoon.

Tony Perkins, who is on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and traveled with Brunson, wrote that the plane carrying Brunson and his wife had landed. Brunson was slated to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House later on Saturday. Earlier in the day Trump thanked Turkey for freeing Brunson but denied cutting a deal with Ankara.

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Leslie Adler)