Thousands protested in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Friday over the arrest of a former minister who had accused President Mikheil Saakashvili of corruption and plotting to murder an opponent.

The protests, the biggest since Mr Saakashvili came to power in the 2003 “Rose Revolution”, followed mounting tensions after Irakli Okruashvili, former defence minister, made his accusations on Tuesday and announced he was launching an opposition movement.