Turkish authorities were Saturday in control of a newspaper staunchly opposed to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after using tear gas and water cannon to seize its headquarters in a dramatic raid that raised fresh alarm over declining media freedoms.

The US State Department said the action against the Zaman newspaper was one of several worrisome moves recently by its NATO ally, and urged Ankara to respect press freedom.

"We see this as the latest in a series of troubling judicial and law enforcement actions taken by the Turkish government targeting media outlets and others critical of it," spokesman John Kirby said.

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