Turks detain Israelis at Istanbul airport

Sep 05, 2011 at 20:21

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel says 40 of its citizens were briefly detained for questioning upon landing at Istanbul airport in Turkey amid worsening relations between the two countries.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor says the passengers were freed later Monday morning. He says he doesn't know what questions they were asked.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry and Turkish Airlines said they were not aware of the incident.

Turkish media reported that Turkish travelers arriving in Israel recently were harassed at a security check.

The two countries are involved in a diplomatic crisis over a deadly Israeli military raid on a Gaza-bound Turkish ship last year. Over the weekend, Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador over the incident.