A curator from the American Museum of Natural History was detained in Istanbul on suspicion of attempting to smuggle spider and scorpion samples out of Turkey.

Lorenzo Prendini, an arachnid expert, was held at Istanbul Airport with around 1,500 samples. He claims to have permits from the Turkish government for his research but was detained nonetheless.

Turkish media reported that the police disregarded his permits and accused him of smuggling species found in Turkey.

Prendini stated that the police violated due process and relied on questionable testimony, NBC News has reported.

He is listed as the curator of spider, scorpion, centipede, and millipede collections at the museum, and his research has spanned over 30 countries.

Written by B.C. Begley