Israeli couple released on charges of espionage have been released Recep Tayyip Erdogan News

The couple were arrested after taking pictures of President Erdogan’s residence on top of the tallest building in Istanbul.

An Israeli couple who have been in Turkey for a week on suspicion of espionage have been released.

Mordi and Natali Oknin were arrested after visiting the newly opened Camlica Tower – the tallest building in Istanbul. They were released on Thursday.

A city court has accused them of “political and military espionage” for taking a photo at the home of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the state news agency Anadolu reported.

An employee informed police after seeing the couple taking pictures of the residence from the tower restaurant, he said.

A Turkish citizen who was with the couple was also arrested on charges of political and military espionage.

Oknins denied the accusation, and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stated that the couple was not an employee of the spy agency.

“After the joint effort with Turkey, Mordi and Natali Oknin were released from prison and are on their way home to Israel,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office said in a statement.

Relatives and supporters greeted the couple as they returned to the central Israeli city of Modiin, as shown by images broadcast on public television.

Bennett said he and Lapid “thanked the Turkish president and his government for their cooperation and hope to welcome the couple home.”

Relations between Turkey and Israel have been strained, especially since the ambassadors withdrew their ambassadors in 2018 after the death of protesters in Gaza.