Turkish Police Foil Suspected NATO Summit Terror Attack
May 3, 2004
Turkish police arrested 16 militants who they say were planning to attack the NATO summit due to be staged in Istanbul next month. Security forces in the northwestern city of Bursa swooped on members of the radical Islamic group Ansar al-Islam after investigations led them to believe that the group were planning to bomb the event, according to a statement issued via the Anatolia news agency.
Police found explosives, computer equipment and false passports during the raid along with documents related to the NATO summit, which is to be held on June 28 and 29.
Prosecutors questioned the 16 on Monday and asked a court to press charges of membership in an illegal organization against nine of them, the Turkish news agency said.
Crowds protest at proposed Bush visit
Emotions are running high in Turkey ahead of the NATO meeting which is to be attended by U.S. President George W. Bush. Protesters marched at the weekend against the president's likely appearance at the summit. The alliance's leaders are gatherning in Istanbul to discuss the possible deployment of NATO forces in Iraq.
In November, 62 people died and hundreds were injured in coordinated terrorist attacks in Istanbul. Two synagogues, the British consulate and the HSBC bank were all targeted by radical Islamic suicide bombers.
Ansar al-Islam is a group which supports the cause of radical Islamic Kurds in Northern Iraq and is suspected of having connections with al Qaeda. The group was founded in September, 2001.