ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Syrian journalist arrested in Turkey while applying for a residence permit says he has been freed.

In a message posted Saturday on Facebook, Rami Jarrah said Turkish authorities have released him without charges. He said he had not been given an explanation for his arrest on Wednesday, but said it might be related to his crossing into Syria.

Jarrah co-founded the independent citizen journalist group ANA Press after leaving Syria. The agency provides footage and reports on the war in Syria to international media.

The journalist said he was held a detention center together with people suspected of "being terrorist elements."

The Committee to Protect Journalists had urged Turkey to release him, saying journalists like Jarrah needed protection rather than being "subjected to detention and harassment."