Turkish police have detained the mayor of Istanbul, Reuters reports.

Ekrem İmamoğlu is accused of leading a criminal organization, bribery, bid rigging and aiding a terrorist organization.

Early this morning, İmamoğlu’s media advisor Murat İngun reported on the social network X that the mayor had been detained, but did not specify the reason.

Earlier, İmamoğlu wrote on X that hundreds of police officers were outside his home, but stressed that he would not give up and would remain in the face of pressure.

Dozens of riot police were deployed outside İmamoğlu’s house, according to footage broadcast live on CNNTurk television. Police forces searched his house as part of an investigation.

As part of the investigation launched against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, a detention order has been issued for 106 suspects, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, Murat Şongün, Tuncay Yılmaz, Fatih Keleş and Ertan Yıldız. The suspects were detained in a simultaneous large-scale operation.

Rallies and demonstrations in Istanbul have been banned until March 23 amid the detention of the city’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, TGRT Haber television channel reported, citing the city governor’s office.

An Istanbul prosecutor opened a new criminal investigation into Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on Monday, Turkish media reported. The investigation is for alleged attempts to influence the judiciary after İmamoğlu sharply criticized judicial inspections targeting opposition-run municipalities.

News of the investigation came shortly after İmamoğlu, seen as a potential future rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accused the government of using the judiciary as a tool to politically pressure the opposition.

At a news conference, İmamoğlu said the same expert had been assigned to several judicial inspections of him and other municipalities in Istanbul run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), of which he is a member.

The government rejects the accusations of political interference and says Turkey’s judiciary is independent.

The investigation comes a week after another case against İmamoğlu for criticizing an Istanbul prosecutor over the brief detention of the head of the CHP’s youth wing.

Imamoglu was previously convicted in 2022 of insulting public officials after criticizing a decision to annul the first round of an earlier municipal election in which he defeated the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) candidate. He is appealing the conviction, but if it is upheld by higher courts, he could be banned from politics for five years. Imamoglu was re-elected as mayor last year when the AKP suffered some of its biggest losses in local elections, further heightening tensions between the government and the opposition.

Illustrative Photo by Burak The Weekender: https://www.pexels.com/photo/aerial-photography-of-cityscape-at-night-45189/