Erdogan's government arrests Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in Turkish political crackdown

March 19 (UPI) -- Political opposition leader and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was in Turkish police custody Wednesday after he was arrested days before being chosen as the presidential candidate for the Republican People's Party.

"I'm sorry to say, a handful of minds trying to usurp the will of our nation have used my beloved police officers, the security forces of this country, as instruments of evil, and have gathered hundreds of police officers at the door of my home, the home of 16 million Istanbulites," Imamoglu said.

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