Turkey: Free Israeli couple accused of espionage

Her authorities released her Turkey a couple of Israelis who had been arrested and charged with espionage. The couple were accused of photographing the residence of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a trip to Istanbul, the Israeli Prime Minister and Foreign Minister announced today.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has denied the allegations in a statement issued Friday stating “Similar, baseless allegations concerning Israeli Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki have been made more than once. The government sent a high-ranking official to Turkey to help free the couple.

“Following joint efforts with Turkey, Mordy and Natalie O’Connell have been released from prison and are returning home to Israel,” Bennett and Israeli Foreign Minister Naftali Bennett said in a joint statement.

“We thank the Turkish president and his government for their co-operation and look forward to welcoming the couple home,” they were quoted as saying by APE-MPE, quoted by Reuters.

What happened

A Turkish court has ordered the couple to be remanded in custody in November on espionage charges for taking pictures of their home. Recep Tayyip Erdogan from the Tsamlitze Tower, a telecommunications facility where observatories are located, according to the Turkish state-run Anatoli news agency.

According to the agency, an employee called the police when he saw the couple photographing the residence of the head of state from a restaurant that operates in Tsamlitze.

According to the information of the agency, a Turkish citizen, who was with the couple, had also been arrested. He was charged with political and military charges espionage. It is not clear whether he was to be released or not.

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