Turkish authorities have detained opposition mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu, Turkish media reports.
According to them, the operation conducted by the police is connected with a large-scale investigation into corruption crimes. Earlier, a search was conducted in the mayor's house.
The mayor, his press secretary and about 100 other city hall employees were reportedly detained.
As reported by AFP, citing the politician's aide, Imamoglu "has been detained and is currently at police headquarters."
Ekrem Imamoglu was considered the main opposition candidate in the 2027 Turkish presidential elections and the main competitor of Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Istanbul University on Monday revoked Imamoglu's university degree following a request from the Prosecutor General's Office, which raised doubts about its legitimacy.
According to the country's legislation, only a person with a higher education can become a presidential candidate.
