ANKARA — A Russian couple detained in Turkey after reportedly reading from the Bible inside Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia face possible deportation, according to Russian state media.

What happened: The couple, identified as Viktoria Filonova and Igor Filonov, was detained on Tuesday, Russia’s state-owned RIA Novosti news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul.

They had been transferred to a deportation center, RIA reported, adding that Russian diplomats were in contact with their lawyer and with Turkish officials.

RIA did not clarify the reason for their detention. However, the couple was detained after Igor Filonov read a passage from the Bible inside Hagia Sophia, another Russian outlet, Mediazona, reported, citing Filonov’s social media account. Filonov said security personnel surrounded the couple and escorted them out of the mosque before taking them to a police station in Istanbul’s Fatih district.

Russian business daily Kommersant reported that a police record cited a possible violation of Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code, which covers incitement to hatred or hostility and public denigration. However, the outlet cited no named official or official document.

Turkish authorities have not publicly confirmed the reason for the detention.

Background: The sixth-century structure was originally built as a cathedral and converted into a mosque following the 1453 Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, now known as Istanbul. Hagia Sophia was later turned into a museum following a 1934 decision, roughly a decade after the founding of the Republic of Turkey by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. In 2020, the edifice was converted back into a mosque by the Turkish government.

The conversion drew widespread international criticism at the time. The United States said it was disappointed by the change and urged Turkey to preserve unrestricted public access to the UNESCO World Heritage site. The European Union denounced the move, warning that it would fuel mistrust and deepen divisions between religious communities.

Despite the conversion, Hagia Sophia remains one of Istanbul’s biggest tourist draws. The landmark welcomed roughly 25 million visitors in the four years after it reopened as a mosque in July 2020, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.