Police Arrest Istanbul Mayor Over Alleged Corruption and Terror Links

FILE PHOTO: Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu addresses his supporters from the top of a bus after giving testimony to judicial authorities at the Justice Palace, known as Caglayan Courthouse, in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu addresses his supporters from the top of a bus after giving testimony to judicial authorities at the Justice Palace, known as Caglayan Courthouse, in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya/File Photo
TT
20

Police Arrest Istanbul Mayor Over Alleged Corruption and Terror Links

FILE PHOTO: Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu addresses his supporters from the top of a bus after giving testimony to judicial authorities at the Justice Palace, known as Caglayan Courthouse, in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu addresses his supporters from the top of a bus after giving testimony to judicial authorities at the Justice Palace, known as Caglayan Courthouse, in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya/File Photo

Turkish police on Wednesday arrested Istanbul’s mayor — a key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — as part of an investigation into alleged corruption and terror links, media reports said.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said prosecutors issued detention warrants for the mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, and some 100 other people. Among those detained was Imamoglu's close aid, Murat Ongun.
Authorities closed several roads around Istanbul and banned demonstrations in the city for four days in an apparent effort to prevent protests following the arrest.
The arrest came during a search of Imamoglu's home, but it was not immediately clear if police confiscated anything at the site.
A day earlier, a university invalidated Imamoglu's diploma, effectively disqualifying the popular opposition figure from running in the next presidential race. Having a university degree is a requisite for running in elections under Turkish law.
The mayor’s party — the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP — was to hold a primary on Sunday where Imamoglu was expected to be chosen for its candidate in future presidential elections. Türkiye’s next presidential vote is scheduled for 2028, but early elections are likely.
With all the arrests on Wednesday, it was unlikely that vote would be held.
“We are facing great tyranny, but I want you to know that I will not be discouraged,” Imamoglu said earlier on Wednesday in a video message posted on social media. He accused the government of “usurping the will” of the people.
CHP's chairman, Ozgur Ozel, denounced Imamoglu's detention as a “coup.”
“Currently, there is a power in place to prevent the nation from determining the next president,” he said. "We are facing an attempted coup against our next president.”
Separately, police also detained a prominent investigative journalist, Ismail Saymaz, for questioning, the opposition-aligned Halk TV reported.
In nullifying Imamoglu’s diploma, Istanbul University cited alleged irregularities in his 1990 transfer from a private university in northern Cyprus to its Faculty of Business Administration. Imamoglu said he would challenge the decision.
The opposition leader faces multiple lawsuits, including allegations of trying to influence a judicial expert investigating opposition-led municipalities. The cases could result in prison sentences and a political ban.



Trump Vetoed Israeli Plan to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, US Officials Say

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
TT
20

Trump Vetoed Israeli Plan to Kill Iran’s Supreme Leader, US Officials Say

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei waves during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 revolution, Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters

President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan in recent days to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, two US officials told Reuters on Sunday.

"Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do, we're not even talking about going after the political leadership," said one of the sources, a senior US administration official.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said top US officials have been in constant communications with Israeli officials in the days since Israel launched a massive attack on Iran in a bid to halt its nuclear program.

They said the Israelis reported that they had an opportunity to kill the top Iranian leader, but Trump waved them off of the plan.

The officials would not say whether Trump himself delivered the message. But Trump has been in frequent communications with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

When asked about Reuters report, Netanyahu, in an interview on Sunday with Fox News Channel's "Special Report With Bret Baier," said: "There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I'm not going to get into that."

"But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we'll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States," Netanyahu said.

Trump has been holding out hope for a resumption of US-Iranian negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program. Talks that had been scheduled for Sunday in Oman were canceled as a result of the strikes.

Trump told Reuters on Friday that "we knew everything" about the Israeli strikes.