The mayor of Istanbul and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main rival has been formally arrested and jailed pending trial over corruption charges.
Ekrem Imamoglu was originally detained on Sunday – sparking widespread protests across Turkey which have since intensified.
Mr Imamoglu, a popular opposition figure with the Republican People’s Party, was also detained over allegations of links to terror organisations.
For a fourth night, demonstrators clashed with police as the 54-year-old faced further questioning. He denies any wrongdoing.
Many view his detention on Wednesday as a political move to remove him from the 2028 presidential race – with the last having taken place in 2023.
However, government officials reject accusations that legal actions against opposition figures are politically motivated and insist that Turkey’s courts operate independently.
Police questioned Mr Imamoglu for around five hours on Saturday as part of a terror investigation into allegations of aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, the Cumhuriyet newspaper reported.
A day earlier he was questioned for four hours over the corruption accusations.
Around 90 other people were also questioned by prosecutors.
Dozens are prominent figures and include two district mayors.
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Earlier on Saturday, Mr Erdogan said the government would not tolerate street protests and accused the opposition party of links to corruption and extremist organisations.
“The days of going out into the streets, taking left-wing organisations, extremists, and vandals with you… are now behind us,” he said.
Saturday marked the fourth night of largely peaceful demonstrations.
However, a group of protesters, trying to break through barricades to reach Istanbul’s main square, threw flares, stones and other objects at police who responded with pepper spray.
Police used water cannons and tear gas on demonstrators in the capital, Ankara.
Mr Imamoglu is expected to be nominated as the Republican People’s Party’s presidential candidate in a primary on Sunday.
The party’s leader, Ozgur Ozel, said that the primary, in which around 1.5 million delegates can vote, will go ahead as planned.
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