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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Ruth Michaelson

YOU WONT BELIEVE: Istanbul mayor arrested days before likely presidential nomination | Mind Blowing Facts

Supporters of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu protest in the city
Supporters of the Istanbul mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, protested in the city on Wednesday. Photograph: Ümit Bektaş/Reuters

Turkish police have arrested the mayor of Istanbul, detaining the primary challenger to the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in dawn raids that also ensnared 100 politicians, businesspeople and municipal officials accused of corruption and links to terror groups.

Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor, released a video statement as police gathered outside his residence in Istanbul, speaking to the camera as he put on a shirt and tie before his arrest. In a caption accompanying the video posted to social media, he wrote: “This is a blow to the will of the people.”

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