HelpTurkey hashtag under investigation for ‘spreading fear’ about wildfires

Stung by claims of a bungled response to devastating fires, president Recep Tayyip Erdoan says criticism is orchestrated by foreign powers

Prosecutors in Turkey have launched an investigation into a social media hastag critical of the government's allegedly bungled response to the country's devastating wildfires, accusing it of spreading anxiety and fear".

The hashtag HelpTurkey exploded when rightwing president Recep Tayyip Erdoan was pictured on a tour of the damaged region under heavy police escort, tossing bags of tea to locals out of a moving bus in the middle of the night while a megaphone announced his presence.