German national arrested in Istanbul – report

Turkish police arrested a German-Turkish national in Istanbul, the latest in a series of detentions of German citizens that have strained diplomatic relations.

Police stormed an apartment in Turkey’s largest city as Adil Demirci, a social worker and part-time journalist for the left-wing Turkish ETHA news agency, was visiting relatives, Fox News reported citing a report by the Associated Press.

The German Foreign Ministry said confirmation of Demirci’s arrest by the Turkish authorities is still pending, according to Fox.

Relations between Germany and Turkey went into a tailspin after Turkey arrested several German citizens for alleged terrorism crimes and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed the German government for “Nazi tendencies” during campaigning for a referendum last year. Germany, along with other European Union countries, has expressed grave concern about Turkey’s human rights record and Erdogan’s growing authoritarianism since a failed coup in July 2016.

German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yucel was released by a Turkish court in February after political pressure by German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government. German Foreign Minister Sigmur Gabriel reportedly met secretly with Erdogan to secure Yucel’s release.