Turkish woman, held by Israel on 'terror' charges, returns home

ISTANBUL: A Turkish woman, held for over a month by Israel on charges of passing hundreds of dollars to a "terrorist" organisation, returned home to Turkey today after her release.

Ebru Ozkan, 27, arrived overnight on a scheduled flight from Tel Aviv, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already called Ozkan to pass on his best wishes after her return, said his spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, describing her incarceration as "unfounded".

Israel's Shin Bet internal security service said "she was released under conditions and then it was decided to order her to immediately leave Israel," without giving further details.

Ozkan was detained at Israel's Ben Gurion airport on June 11 as she was leaving the country to return to Turkey.

Shin Bet said Ozkan was arrested "on suspicion of posing a threat to national security and for having links to a terrorist organisation", passing on hundreds of dollars and phone chargers.

The name of the group Ozkan was alleged to have links to was not given, but Israeli media reported the money was destined for the Islamist group Hamas.

The case against Ozkan added to tensions that have spiked between Turkey and Israel in recent weeks.

Ankara ordered out the Jewish state's ambassador in May over the killing of protestors along the border with the Gaza Strip.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday said his officials were in contact with the Israelis over Ozkan's case and called for an end to its "pitiless persecutions".

Israeli media in recent weeks has reported that authorities are increasingly concerned Turkey is attempting to increase its influence in the holy city of Jerusalem through charitable organisations working there.