Turkey arrests rock star, civil society activist Haluk Levent

Police on Sunday arrested Turkish rock star Haluk Levent, a civil society activist whose NGO rose to prominence for its aid work following the 2023 earthquake, media reports said.

The warrant was issued by the Istanbul public prosecutor's office as part of a graft probe into his NGO, AHBAP, with the 57-year-old musician detained by the police's financial crimes unit, BirGun newspaper, and the left-leaning Sozcu daily said.

He was reportedly arrested in Bursa in northwestern Turkey on charges that include violating the associations law, money laundering, and membership in an organised crime group.

Levent set up AHBAP in 2017 and it rose to prominence for its nationwide volunteer network and its aid efforts during the February 2023 earthquake in southeastern Turkey that left more than 53,500 people dead.

He is expected to be taken before a judge at Istanbul's Caglayan courthouse, it said without saying when.