Turkish police on Wednesday arrested Istanbul’s mayor a popular opposition leader and key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and several other prominent figures as part of investigations into alleged corruption and terror links.
It was a dramatic escalation in an ongoing crackdown on the opposition and dissenting voices in Turkey.
The state-run Anadolu Agency said prosecutors issued warrants for the mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, and some 100 other people. Among those detained was Imamoglu’s close aide, Murat Ongun.
Imamoglu was arrested as police searched his home, but it wasn’t immediately clear if anything was confiscated. His wife, Dilek Imamoglu, told them that police arrived at their residence before dawn and that the mayor was taken around 7:30 a.m.
Ekrem Imamoglu and several others are suspected of extortion, money laundering, and irregularities concerning tenders and procurements, among other crimes.
Imamoglu is also suspected of aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, by allegedly allying with a Kurdish umbrella organization for the Istanbul municipal elections, the report said.
The Istanbul Stock Exchange’s main index dropped by 7% over the news of his arrest, automatically triggering a temporary halt in trading to prevent panic selling and stabilize the market. The Turkish lira lost some 7% of its value against the dollar.
Authorities also closed several roads around Istanbul and banned demonstrations in the city for four days in an apparent effort to prevent protests following the arrest.
People gathered later Wednesday near Istanbul’s police headquarters, carrying posters of the mayor and banners with his photo around their shoulders. Others chanted slogans and raised their fists in the air as riot police cordoned off the facility.
