Police in Turkey have arrested Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu – a key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – as part of an investigation into alleged corruption and terror links.
Prosecutors also issued arrest warrants for around 100 other people including Mr Imamoglu’s close aide, Murat Ongun, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.
Demonstrations have been banned for four days in Istanbul and several roads closed in what appears to be an attempt by the authorities to prevent protests about the mayor’s arrest.
Turkey has also restricted access to social media platforms including X, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, the internet observatory Netblocks said.
However, supporters of Mr Imamoglu – who is leading Mr Erdogan in some opinion polls – started to gather outside the police headquarters in Istanbul.
The events mark a dramatic escalation in an ongoing government crackdown on the opposition and dissenting voices in Turkey – and comes days before Mr Imamoglu is expected to be nominated by his party as its presidential candidate.
The next presidential election is due to take place in 2028 – with the last having taken place in 2023.
Critics say the crackdown follows significant losses by Mr Erdogan’s ruling party in local elections last year, amid growing calls for early national elections.
Human Rights Watch Turkey condemned the arrests and called it a “flagrant abuse of the justice system”.
Government officials have insisted the judiciary operates independently and rejected claims the arrests are politically motivated.
Shortly before his detention, 54-year-old Mr Imamoglu accused the government of “usurping the will” of the people and said the country’s security forces were being used as “tools of evil”.
He added in a post on social media: “We are facing great tyranny, but I want you to know that I will not be discouraged.”
The mayor and several others have been arrested on suspicion of extortion, money laundering and irregularities concerning tenders and procurements, among other alleged crimes, the Anadolu Agency reported.
The arrest of Mr Imamoglu came during a search of his home.
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His wife, Dilek Imamoglu, told the Now television station that police arrived before dawn and the mayor was taken at around 7.30am, calling it an “unlawful procedure” which was “very, very scary”.
The mayor’s party – the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) – is set to hold a primary election on Sunday, when it was expected that Mr Imamoglu would be chosen as its candidate in future presidential elections.
The CHP called the arrest “a coup against our next president”.
Mr Imamoglu’s appeal beyond his party’s traditional secular and centre-left base has propelled him onto the national stage, making him a competitive contender and main rival to Mr Erdogan.
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A day before his arrest, Istanbul University invalidated Mr Imamoglu’s diploma.
If upheld, the decision would rule him out of running in the next presidential race, as candidates are required to have a degree.
Turkey’s next presidential vote is scheduled for 2028, but early elections are likely.
A conservative populist, Mr Erdogan has led Turkey as prime minister or president for more than 20 years and is now the longest-serving leader in the republic’s history.
