US Denies Man Held in Turkey for Fake Passport Is Diplomat

US Denies Man Held in Turkey for Fake Passport Is Diplomat
Turkish police officers wearing face masks and visors wait for passengers at the passport control at Antalya International airport in Antalya, Turkey, on June 19, 2020. Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images
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ANKARA, Turkey—U.S. officials denied Thursday that an American citizen arrested in Turkey for allegedly providing a fake passport to a Syrian man is a U.S. diplomat.

Turkish officials said Wednesday they detained a U.S. diplomat at Istanbul Airport on Nov. 11. Authorities in Turkey publicly identified the man only by his initials D.J.K., and said he worked for the U.S. Consulate in Lebanon.