Protesters gather outside Istanbul's Çağlayan court where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main rival, Iyer Ekrem Imamoglu, is due to appear before prosecutors, AFP reported.

Imamoglu is due to stand trial along with hundreds of others detained in the crackdown.

Istanbul's chief prosecutor's office said Wednesday it had detained opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in a case involving an organization involved in corruption, bribery, and graft. The politician himself stated that he “does not intend to give up” under pressure from the authorities.

After that, large-scale protests broke out across Turkey.

Imamoglu denies the terrorism charges against him, according to a court document seen by Reuters.