DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – The office of Israeli Prime Minister Naphtali Bennett on Saturday denied that the couple had been detained in Turkey, citing a photo of the palace as the reason for their arrest, Israeli newspapers reported. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan does not belong to the Israeli agency.
“Prime Minister Naphtali Bennett spoke with Natalie’s family this evening and Okinin’s suppliers currently in prison in Turkey,” Bennett’s office said in a statement on Twitter.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement: “The prime minister has explained to them about their liberation efforts.
Prime Minister Naphtali Bennett spoke this evening with relatives of Natalie, who is currently in prison in Turkey, and Okinin’s suppliers. As confirmed by the official organizations, the Prime Minister explained to them about the efforts for their release, as they did not work for any Israeli agency.
Bennett issued statements in which he said, “Top Israeli officials worked over the weekend under the chairmanship of the Foreign Ministry and stressed that we will continue to work to find a solution as soon as possible.”
And the Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, reported that the couple had been arrested for imagining Erdogan’s palace and sending the photo to relatives, while CNN has not yet seen the official Turkish report on the incident.
The wife’s sister said the detained Israeli had sent her a message: “Save us … return to the country and save us,” Yedioth Ahronoth said.
