Istanbul mayor vows to fight on as court formalises arrest

ISTANBUL — Istanbul's embattled opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, vowed on Sunday to fight on after a court formalised his arrest,  a move that has sparked Turkey's worst street unrest in more than a decade. 

Four days after he was detained up in a pre-dawn raid by hundreds of police, a court formally placed Imamoglu under arrest in a graft investigation, one of his lawyers told AFP, vowing to appeal.

But the court decided against formalising his arrest in a separate "terror" probe, he said.

The rulings came after a fourth night of street protests across Turkey that descended into heavy clashes with riot police in Istanbul and the capital Ankara, AFP correspondents said.

The court's decision came as the main opposition CHP party cast its ballots in a long-planned primary to elect Imamoglu as its candidate in the 2028 presidential election.

Observers said it was the looming primary that triggered the move against Imamoglu, widely seen as the only politician capable of challenging President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The move against him sparked protests that quickly spread from Istanbul to at least 55 of Turkey's 81 provinces, with police arresting 323 people overnight, officials said.

In a post on X shortly after the court decision, Imamoglu vowed to fight on, urging his supporters not to lose heart. 

"We will erase this black stain on our democracy," he wrote in a message transmitted via his lawyers.

"I will not be bowed."