Adnan Oktar, a bizarre and controversial Islamic televangelist figure, was detained in his villa in Istanbul's upmarket Cengelkoy district by local police on Wednesday.

Police said accusations against Oktar include forming a gang with criminal intent, sexual abuse of minors, sexual assault, kidnapping, blackmail, fraud, money laundering and exploitation of religious sentiments.

Before officers took him for a medical check, Oktar told waiting media that the claims were 'lies', adding: 'This is a game by the British deep state.'

He often rails against the so-called 'British deep state' in his programme and in one video, he says it has 'sneakily disguised itself' and is linked to criminal groups.

Oktar first came to media attention in the 1990s when he was the leader of a sect caught up in multiple sex scandals. As a result, he had faced similar criminal charges of setting up a criminal organisation.

Istanbul police said warrants were issued against Oktar and 234 of his followers and that financial crime units were carrying out operations in Istanbul and four other cities to detain them.

Elvan Kocak, a Turk living in Austria, filed a lawsuit against Oktar earlier this year, accusing him of kidnapping his two daughters, after he saw them on one of the televangelist's broadcasts. After hearing the news of the operation, Kocak was quoted on private news agency DHA as saying 'I am very excited, very happy.'

Ceylan Ozgul, a woman who appeared on Oktar's shows, told Anadolu she escaped the network in 2017 after spending a decade inside.

She warned parents on social media to watch out for their children

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