Greek police officer arrested in Turkey granted conditional release must not leave

A Greek police officer who was arrested in Turkey on Sunday has been granted release without charge by a court but must remain in the country while authorities finalise a sweep of his mobile phone.

The 41-year-old and his female partner were arrested on Sunday evening while returning from a day out in the city of Edirne, which is around 5 kilometers from the Greek-Turkish border.

Police on the Turkish side of the border said the pair had trespassed on the no-go zone between the two countries and arrested them for questioning, while also confiscating their mobile phones.

The incident caused some concern in Athens that the police officer could be accused of espionage.

The 41-year-old serves at the police station in the border town of Feres in Evros, northeastern Greece, and was off-duty when he and his companion made the trip to Turkey for recreation purposes.

According to the Citizens’ Protection Ministry in Athens, the pair was released on Monday on the condition that they remain in Turkey for 48 hours while investigators continue reviewing the content of their mobiles to rule out the likelihood that they contain sensitive data.