Mustafa Ozer was arrested after his house in Istanbul was searched for several hours by anti-terror police, who also seized CDs and documents and copied memory cards, lawyer Sibel Tokaoglu told AFP.

The Anatolia news agency said police in seven different cities had arrested at least 38 people, including journalists, accused of links with the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK).

The government claims the KCK is the urban wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey and much of the international community.

The PKK took up arms for Kurdish independence in southeastern Turkey in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000 lives.

Since 2009, 700 people have been arrested for alleged links with the rebels, according to the government, but the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) puts the figure at more than 3,500.

Around 70 journalists and intellectuals have also been arrested on various charges, including links with Kurdish rebels, provoking criticism of the Turkish authorities at home and abroad.