[Yahoo] March 22 (UPI) -- Turkish police arrested at least 343 people during the overnight hours Friday and Saturday for participating in mass protests in several cities in Turkey.
The arrest of opposition leader and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Wednesday sparked the multi-day protests that got underway on Thursday, CNN reported.
He is viewed as current Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's primary challenger for the nation's presidency.
...Turkish authorities also arrested about 100 others who are connected to Imamoglu, including his press adviser Murat Ongun.
Imamoglu and many others who were arrested are accused of embezzlement and corruption tied to Imamoglu's construction company.
He has denied those charges and others accusing him of terrorism for allegedly collaborating with a leftist political coalition prior to local elections held in 2024.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu appeared before police for questioning on terror-related charges on Saturday, a day after his interrogation over corruption allegations. His arrest this week has sparked widespread protests across The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
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member, but not the most reliable...
, with demonstrators rallying in multiple cities to voice their opposition.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya posted on social media that 343 suspects were tossed into the calaboose in protests in major cities on Friday night, adding "There will be no tolerance for those who seek to violate societal order, threaten the people’s peace and security, and pursue chaos and provocation." The cities listed included Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Antalya, Canakkale, Eskisehir, Konya and Edirne.
The mayor, who is a popular opposition figure and seen as a top challenger to President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
 ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important...
, was detained on Wednesday following a dawn raid on his residence over allegations of financial crimes and links to Kurdish holy warriors. Dozens of other prominent figures, including two district mayors, were also detained.
Imamoglu is also under investigation for "bribery, extortion, corruption, aggravated fraud, and illegally obtaining personal data for profit as part of a criminal organization."
Many view the arrest as a politically driven attempt to remove a popular opposition figure and key challenger to Erdogan in the next presidential race, currently scheduled for 2028. Government officials reject accusations that legal actions against opposition figures are politically motivated and insist that Turkey’s courts operate independently.
On Saturday, police questioned Imamoglu for some five hours as part of an investigation into allegations of aiding the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, the Cumhuriyet newspaper reported. A day earlier he was questioned for four hours over the corruption accusations. The mayor rejected all charges during both interrogations.
He was transferred to a courthouse on Saturday afternoon for questioning by prosecutors and to face possible charges.
Several hours before his appearance, the authorities announced they were sealing off the main roads leading to the court.
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