A migratory bird has caused alarm in Turkey - after villagers mistook it for an Israeli spy.
Suspicions were aroused when the bird, a common European bee-eater, was found dead in a field with a metal ring around its leg stamped 'Israel'.
They called the police after deciding its nostrils were unusually large and may have carried a microchip fitted by Israeli intelligence for spying.
At one point a counterterrorism unit became involved in the case, reports the BBC.
But the bird's corpse was eventually taken to government experts for examination and declared safe.
The Turkish agriculture ministry examined the bird and assured residents of the village, near the city of Gaziantep, that it was common practice to fit a ring to migratory birds in order to track their movements.
An official at the ministry said it took some effort to persuade local police that the little bee-eater posed no threat to national security.
Leave a comment