German police probing a suspected industrial espionage case said Monday a Toyota Motor Corp. employee had been questioned but was not detained, as reported in local media.

German media reported Sunday that the Toyota employee was temporarily detained by German police following allegations that Toyota's TF103 racing car resembled the F2002 model by Italian automaker Ferrari.

On Thursday, German police searched Toyota facilities in Cologne at the request of Italian police.

A German police official declined comment on the allegations, saying only that the issue falls under the jurisdiction of Italian authorities.

According to earlier reports, the Toyota employee used to work for Ferrari and is suspected of giving Toyota's Formula One team classified documents from the Italian carmaker.

In Japan, Toyota has released a statement saying its subsidiary in Germany has been searched by police but the company has not been informed of details.