Ekrem İmamoğlu Arrested on “Political Espionage” Charges

Istanbul Mayor and opposition presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu was arrested on charges of “political espionage” following a sweeping investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Alongside İmamoğlu, TELE1’s editor-in-chief Merdan Yanardağ and campaign director Necati Özkan were also detained under the same charges after a marathon judicial process that extended past midnight.

Five-Hour Interrogation at Istanbul Courthouse

İmamoğlu, already detained under a separate financial investigation targeting Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), was brought to the Çağlayan Courthouse for questioning under the new espionage probe — his first appearance before prosecutors in this case.

After waiting five hours, he began giving his statement at 4:05 p.m., while co-defendants Yanardağ and Özkan were also interrogated later in the evening. Their depositions ended around 10:00 p.m., after which all three were referred to the Criminal Judgeship of Peace.

By 2:00 a.m., the court ordered the formal arrest of all three under Article 328/1 of the Turkish Penal Code, which covers “political or military espionage.”

İmamoğlu’s Statement: “Espionage Is an Insult to My Life”

According to leaked excerpts of his testimony, İmamoğlu categorically denied all espionage allegations, calling them politically motivated:

“Espionage is an insult to my life. It is the most absurd and severe accusation that could be made against me. In my view, espionage is equivalent to treason. This charge is a disgrace.”

He said he only knew journalist Merdan Yanardağ through his professional work and had appeared on his TV programs a few times.
Necati Özkan, he confirmed, had managed his 2014, 2019, and 2024 election campaigns, but held no official post within the municipality.

Regarding Hüseyin Gün, whose testimony reportedly triggered the case, İmamoğlu said he did not remember meeting him and denied any connection with alleged digital communications involving Gün or Seher Erçili Alaçam, who he described vaguely as a “well-dressed woman” who may have visited to congratulate him after his 2019 election win.

Wickr App and “Digital Army” Allegations

Prosecutors questioned İmamoğlu about alleged communications conducted through “Wickr Me,” an encrypted messaging app. He replied:

“I have never heard of Wickr Me before. I have never had an account on it. The usernames and messages you mention have nothing to do with me.”

He rejected any involvement in alleged conversations referring to a “150,000-person digital army”—a term he speculated might refer to the Istanbul Volunteers movement, but denied any coordination through secret channels.

CIA Claim: “Illogical and Absurd”

Responding to testimony that claimed an American cybersecurity expert named Aaron Barr, allegedly linked to the CIA, had advised his campaign, İmamoğlu dismissed the idea as baseless:

“The claim that a CIA employee would tell me how to appeal to conservatives is absurd. I’ve run a seven-month campaign. The notion that someone could reshape it in 15 days is against logic and life itself.”

“A Political Plot Against Me”

İmamoğlu accused the investigators of orchestrating a political conspiracy, stating:

“I believe I am the victim of a political plot. Saying I burned down Rome would make more sense than accusing me of espionage.”

He concluded that the charges were meant to criminalize his political work ahead of the upcoming elections, adding that he would pursue legal action against those responsible for what he called a “fabricated file.”