Turkish Police Detain Nearly 1,000 in Protests

A protestor holds a Turkish flag with a portrait of the founder of modern Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk as he takes part in a demonstration in support of protests in Istanbul and against the Turkish Prime Minister and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), in Ankara.
Adam Altan | AFP | Getty Images
A protestor holds a Turkish flag with a portrait of the founder of modern Turkey Mustafa Kemal Ataturk as he takes part in a demonstration in support of protests in Istanbul and against the Turkish Prime Minister and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), in Ankara.

Turkish police detained 939 people in 90 different demonstrations across Turkey, interior minister Muammer Guler said on Saturday.

"There have been 939 detentions in various cities. Some of them have already been released," Guler told reporters in comments broadcast by Turkish state television.

He added that 79 people were wounded during the unrest, which was triggered by government plans for a replica Ottoman-era barracks housing shops or apartments in Istanbul's Taksim Square but widened into a broader show of defiance against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.