Turkey blocks access to Twitter

Turkey has restricted access to Twitter hours after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to "root out" the social media network where wiretapped recordings have been leaked, damaging the government's reputation ahead of local elections.

Many users trying to access the network early today were confronted instead with a notice from Turkey's telecommunications authority, citing court orders for the site's apparent closure.

Yesterday, Erdogan said the government would take steps against Twitter regardless of "what the international community will say."

The leaked recordings include one in which Erdogan allegedly instructs his son to dispose of large amounts of cash from a residence amid a police graft probe.

Erdogan insists the recordings are fabricated and part of plot to discredit the government ahead of the March 30 elections.