AFP, Istanbul

Turkish police detained Istanbul’s powerful Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu yesterday in connection with two investigations into graft and “supporting terror,” a move that the main opposition party slammed as a politically-motivated “coup”.

Imamoglu is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival and his detention came just days before he was to be named the candidate of the main opposition party CHP in the 2028 presidential election.

Shortly afterwards, Turkey briefly blocked access to social networks, with police fanning out around City Hall and closing off Taksim Square, banning all protests for four days.