The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that prosecutors also issued warrants for 100 other people.
Western media have described him as a key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who was detained a day after the university invalidated his diploma, in a move seen as politically motivated.
Imamoğlu posted a video on Wednesday morning apparently reacting to the move, with the caption “A blow to the will of the nation”.
The mayor who is 53 year old “was detained and is now at police headquarters” a press aide told Agence France-Presse. The aide did not have permission to speak to the media so asked not to be named.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is scheduled to hold a primary election on 23 March, at which Imamoğlu was expected to be chosen as its presidential candidate. The next presidential vote is scheduled for 2028, but early elections are likely, according to a report by The Guardian.
CHP’s chairman,Özgür Özel, denounced Imamoğlu’s detention as a “coup”.
MNA
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