site.btaTwo Bulgarian Women Detained in Turkey

Ankara, July 28 (BTA) - The Bulgarian embassy in Ankara has received a call from a Bulgarian citizen that during their holiday his wife and daughter were detained by the Turkish police in Aydin, the foreign Ministry said Thursday.

An embassy official has contacted the police station in Elefer by which he was assured that the condition of the two Bulgarian women is good but a permission from the anti-terrorist division of the General Directorate of Security in Aydin is required to converse with them. An official from the anti-terrorist division of the General Directorate of Security in Aydin was contacted and it was clarified that investigation proceedings are continuing and at this point it is not clear whether the detained Bulgarians will be charged or will be released. The official did not commit himself to concrete time for that.

Embassy officials also contacted the supervising procecutor on the case. He said there are no charges. The maximum period of detention is seven days, after which the two Bulgarians have either to be set free or charged with a crime, the press release said.

The two Bulgarians were suspected of being connected with the Cyrian Kurdish People's Protection Units, which Ankara considers a terrorist organisation, Turkish news sites report.

According to a publication in Haberler, they were detained together with a British citizen who is subject to the same suspicions.