Turkish police arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu today after raiding his home . Local media reported the raid was linked to a corruption investigation.

A leading opposition figure to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan , Imamoglu said: “Hundreds of police officers showed up at my door and broke into my house. I have faith in my nation.”

The arrest warrant for Imamoglu was issued on charges of "extortion, corruption, fraud and bid-rigging by a criminal organization" and "aiding and abetting the terrorist organization PKK," several Turkish media reported.

In this morning's police raids, in addition to Imamoglu, about a hundred people believed to be close to him were arrested, including the well-known journalist Ismail Saymaz. "We are facing a great tyranny, but I want you to know that I will not give up," said the mayor believed to be Erdogan's main rival, in the message on X with which he announced his arrest.

The CHP, Turkey's main opposition party, with which Imamoglu was twice elected mayor of Istanbul, called the arrest "a coup against the national will."

Yesterday, Istanbul University annulled Imamoglu's degree, obtained in the early 1990s, deeming it to be fake. The mayor had recently announced his intention to run for president in the next elections, scheduled for 2028 , and one of the requirements to be president of the Republic in Turkey is to have a university degree. In recent months, the mayor has been under investigation for several charges, including "attempting to influence the judiciary", while in 2022 he was sentenced to over two years in prison for insulting a public official, in a sentence that also bans him from participating in political life but is still under investigation by the appeals court that has not yet confirmed it.

Meanwhile, to prevent protests, the Istanbul prefecture has ordered the temporary closure of some metro stations in the city , including the one in the central Taksim Square.