Turkish prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for a former Olympic swimmer over tweets appearing to express relief that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tested positive for Covid-19, reports AFP.

Erdogan, 67, said he had a “mild” infection on Saturday and was working from home.

He posted several tweets on Monday expressing thanks to leaders and officials who wished him well.

But an account believed by prosecutors to belong to Derya Buyukuncu — a six-time backstroke and butterfly Olympian — posted a tweet saying he was making extra pots of a sweet traditionally handed out at funerals.

The Istanbul public prosecutor's office issued a warrant for Buyukuncu as part of an investigation into “criminal social media postings” about the president's infection.