The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador in Ankara on Wednesday to condemn the detention in Germany of two journalists from a pro-government Turkish newspaper, in the latest case of tension between the two Nato allies.
Police searched the private apartments of two journalists, aged 46 and 51, in the western town of Moerfelden-Walldorf on suspicion of dangerous dissemination of personal data, the public prosecutor's office in Darmstadt said.
Electronic storage media and other devices were confiscated, the office said, adding that police had detained the two men but later released them.
"The German ambassador in Turkey [Juergen Schulz] was called to the Turkish Foreign Ministry today for an interview," a source at Germany's Foreign Ministry told Reuters.
Germany is home to the world's largest Turkish diaspora community.
Relations between Berlin and Ankara have suffered in recent years over issues including Germany giving asylum to the followers of cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is living in exile in the US and was blamed by Ankara for a 2016 failed coup.
The Gulen movement has been designated a terrorist organisation in Turkey.
Germany's refusal to extradite military officers Turkey accuses of taking part in the coup attempt, after they claimed asylum, enraged Ankara.
Voting in Turkey's presidential election - in pictures
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People walk under posters showing Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, in Ankara. The country is holding its first presidential run-off election after neither candidate earned more than 50 per cent of the vote in the May 14 election. Getty -
A couple walk under a poster of Turkish presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People's Party, the day after the general election, in Ankara. EPA -
People sit on a bench by posters showing Mr Kilicdaroglu in Ankara. Getty -
The bustling Taksim area of Istanbul. Turkey will hold its first presidential run-off election after neither candidate earned more than 50 per cent of the vote this week. Getty -
People eat ice cream in Istanbul as the country prepares for an election run-off later this month. Getty -
People stand in front of the Guven Monument in Ankara. Getty -
The second round of voting will be held on May 28. Getty -
A passenger reads a newspaper on a ferry across the Bosphorus in Istanbul. Bloomberg -
Politics dominates the headlines in Istanbul on the day after the presidential elections. AP -
A billboard featuring presidential candidate Mr Kilicdaroglu in Istanbul. AP -
A run-off for the presidency was expected to lead to volatility for the Turkish lira. AP -
Supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gather at the AK Party's headquarters in Istanbul on election night. Getty -
Mr Erdogan, accompanied by his wife Emine, addresses supporters in Ankara. Photo: Turkish Presidential Press Office -
Election officials count ballots in Diyarbakir after polls closed in Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections. AFP -
Turkish presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People's Party, speaks to the media in Ankara. EPA -
Mr Erdogan's supporters wave flags outside the AK Party's headquarters in Ankara. Reuters -
Mr Erdogan casts his vote in Istanbul on Sunday. Getty -
Mr Kilicdaroglu votes in Ankara. Getty -
People wait for Mr Erdogan outside a polling station in Istanbul. Reuters -
A man holds a ballot at a polling station in Hatay. Reuters -
A ballot paper featuring candidates for Turkey's presidential and parliamentary elections. Reuters -
Voting began in Turkey's presidential election on Sunday morning. Reuters -
A voter casts a ballot at a polling station in Hatay. Reuters -
Hatay is one of the Turkish regions that were worst-affected by February's earthquake. Reuters -
Voters take a closer look at the candidates on the ballot, in Ankara. Getty -
A ballot paper with Mr Erdogan, Muharrem Ince, Mr Kilicdaroglu and Sinan Ogan. Getty -
Voters queue outside a polling station in Istanbul. Reuters -
Bags containing blank ballots are stored at a temporary polling station in the courtyard of a quake-damaged school in Hatay. Reuters -
An election worker prepares a temporary polling station in Hatay. Reuters
The Turkish state-owned Anadolu news agency reported that German police had raided the Frankfurt office of the Turkish daily Sabah before detaining the journalists.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the journalists had been detained because of their reporting on the Gulen network, after a complaint by one of its members.
The German Interior Ministry was not immediately available to comment.
