Turkish authorities released a lawyer for jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, after detaining him overnight, an attorney for the lawyer said on Friday.

Turkish authorities detained and deported BBC correspondent Mark Lowen​ and arrested other journalists amid the largest nationwide protests in a decade.

Supporters of the mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, said that corruption charges against him were a ploy to hobble the main political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

More than two million supporters of jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu took to the city's streets in protest demanding his release after being arrested on corruption charges.

Turkish fans had urged the rock band to cancel the show as thousands of citizens protest the recent arrest of mayor Ekrem Imamoglu

Mahir Polat, deputy secretary-general of the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, was transferred back to prison after undergoing angioplasty at a hospital. Polat had been remanded in custody along with 50 others, including İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

For a brief moment, Turkey might have feared that the nearly two-week-long protests would impact its tourism industry. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Travelers continue to visit Turkey's cities,

Turkey is in turmoil after Istanbul mayor and candidate for president Ekrem Imamoglu was charged with offences of bribery and corruption, which sparked sustained protests against the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.