Turkish police have detained at least 20 people allegedly involved in violent protests, as the country's prime minister continued to lash out at protesters - and a BBC journalist - he claimed were part of a conspiracy to harm Turkey, Belfast Telegraph reported.

Police searched some 30 addresses in the capital Ankara and rounded up 20 people with alleged links to "terror" groups and suspected of "attacking police and the environment" during three weeks of protests that swept Turkey, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. It was the second police sweep against demonstrators in the city this week.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds unspecified foreign forces, bankers and media outlets responsible for the protests that began in Istanbul on May 31, following a heavy handed police clampdown on peaceful activists. The protests quickly spread to other cities, with thousands expressing discontent with what critics have said is Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian way of governing.

In an address to members of his Islamic-rooted party in parliament, Erdogan reiterated that the protests were orchestrated by forces wanting to prevent Turkey's rise.