The Caglayan court was expected to decide whether to charge or release him, his lawyer said, after a fourth night of protests sparked a harsh crackdown in Turkey’s worst street unrest in over a decade, AFP reported.

The popular opposition mayor, who is the biggest political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested on Wednesday, just days before he was to be named the main opposition CHP’s candidate for the 2028 presidential race.

He was detained in connection with two probes alleging graft and “aiding a terror organisation” — accusations which he on Saturday told police were “immoral and baseless”.

The move against him sparked protests in Istanbul and have since spread to more than 55 of Turkey’s 81 provinces, sparking running battles with police.

Following more mass protests late on Saturday, police arrested 323 people, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X.

MA/PR