Dramatic developments this morning in Turkey as a major police operation was carried out early this morning to arrest Ekrem Imamoglu following an investigation into the events in the Istanbul municipality.
According to Turkish media, the operation involving 3.000 police officers involves more than 100 people, including associates of the mayor of Istanbul.
According to the same information, the arrest warrants have been issued following allegations of financial irregularities in the Istanbul municipality and links to the PKK. A statement from the Istanbul prosecutor's office states that "arrest warrants have been issued for 100 people including the suspected leaders of a criminal organization, Ekrem Imamoglu, Murat Ongun, Tuncay Yilmaz, Fatih Keleş and Ertan Yildiz." According to the same source, the investigation focuses on the actions of the Medya AS company and the "Urban Consensus" project.
In a video posted by Imamoglu from his home, the Istanbul mayor states that he is preparing for his arrest and declares that he will not give in and will continue the fight against Erdogan. “A handful of people are trying to overthrow the will of our nation and they sent hundreds of police officers to my house, abusing my beloved police officers. The oppression is great, but I want to tell you that I will not give in. I love you all. I entrust my fate to the nation. Everyone should know that I will remain firm in my positions. I will continue to fight against the person and the politicians who use this process,” he said.
Footage broadcast by Turkish channels shows strong police forces outside Ekrem Imamoglu's house, with reports indicating at least 20 police vehicles in the area.
His arrest was already announced by Imamoglu's spokesman, Murat Ongun, writing, "I am under arrest. They think that by silencing us, they can prevent us from defending and supporting Ekrem Imamoglu. I appeal to our citizens who have accounts on all social media platforms: From now on, Imamoglu trusts the Turkish nation. They cannot defeat the nation."
It is recalled that Ekrem Imamoglu has declared his intention to be the opposition candidate in the next presidential elections in Turkey, with the Erdogan government constantly putting obstacles in his way, as happened yesterday, Monday, with the decision to revoke the Istanbul mayor's degree, which is a prerequisite for ascending to the country's highest office.
In a statement, the head of the opposition CHP party, Özgür Özel, described Imamoğlu's arrest as a "coup".
"Making decisions in the name of the nation, replacing the will of the citizens or using violence to prevent it, is a coup. Right now, violence is being used to prevent the nation from deciding its next president. We are facing an attempted coup against the next president of Turkey. The real power is the people and the people will win in the end. We will not back down. In the end, the popular will will win once again," he says in his post on X.
Source: protothema.gr
