Police stopped a sculptor from setting himself on fire outside the headquarters of the Republican People's Party (CHP) in Ankara on Friday.

Ragıp Çiçen claimed the party "defrauded" him over a contract before dousing himself with a paint thinner and attempting to light himself on fire.

Çiçen said he went bankrupt when he was not paid for a landscaping job in Karabağlar, a municipality run by the CHP in western Turkey's İzmir province.

He said the municipality signed a contract with his company five years ago but later canceled it over disputes.

Çiçen said he "bribed" municipality officials with TL 1.5 million ($400,124) but still was not paid for the expenses of the project.