BERLIN, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- One of two German citizens arrested recently by Turkish authorities has been set free, Germany's Foreign Office told press on Monday.
The attorney of the individual in question informed the German government of the development, an official spokesperson said. The Foreign Office would now attempt to assess the accuracy of the information. German diplomats were still unable to gain consular access the second prisoner who remained in custody in Antalya.
Turkey has made arrests on suspicion of terrorist activity in the wake of a failed military coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016.
According to the German Foreign Office, there are currently 55 German citizens imprisoned in Turkey of which 12 were detained on political grounds.
Traditionally close relations between Berlin and Ankara began to sour after a military coup bid jolted Turkey in July last year, as Ankara blamed Berlin for not returning alleged members of the Turkish military affiliated with the coup plotters.
In addition, Ankara has often accused Berlin of sheltering militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a terror group blacklisted by Turkey, the United States and EU.
Ahead of an April referendum in Turkey, Turkey's ties with Germany soured further after Erdogan accused Berlin of adopting Nazi and fascist methods after the latter barred some Turkish cabinet ministers from addressing Turkish expatriates.
Germany, in response, criticized Ankara for stifling the rule of law and cracking down on dissidents following the failed coup.
The Ankara-Berlin row reached a new high after President Erdogan called on Turks in Germany to vote against Germany's leading parties, which he described as Turkey's enemies.
Erdogan drew sharp criticism from German politicians, who saw his remarks as an intervention in their country's domestic politics, with Chancellor Angela Merkel calling them "absolutely unacceptable".
Germany is set to hold general elections on Sept. 24, in which roughly 1.25 million out of nearly 3.5 million Turkish expatriates in Germany have the right to vote.
On Sunday's television debate, German Social Democrat (SPD) leader Martin Schulz called for an end to Turkey's EU accession talks and related financial aid.
