Istanbul mayor – a key Erdogan rival – arrested over alleged corruption

Ekrem Imamoglu is the mayor of Istanbul (AP)

Turkish police have arrested Istanbul’s mayor – a popular opposition leader and key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – and several other prominent figures as part of investigations into alleged corruption and terror links.

The arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu marks a dramatic escalation in an ongoing government crackdown on the opposition and dissenting voices in Turkey.