J-10
06-24-2004, 09:45 AM
Bomb in Istanbul Kills 3, Injures 8
Explosion Aboard a Bus in Istanbul Kills at Least Three and Injures Eight, Police Say
The Associated Press
http://a.abcnews.com/images/autowirestory/AP/IST80106241039.jpeg
ISTANBUL, Turkey June 24, 2004 — A bomb blast aboard a bus killed at least three people and injured eight, a senior police official said. Earlier, a bomb exploded outside the Ankara hotel where President Bush is expected to stay before this weekend's NATO summit.
The Istanbul explosion occurred as the bus traveled in a residential area of the city, the police official said on condition of anonymity. Ambulances rushed to the scene in the Fatih district, about five miles from the summit area.
About 250 miles away in Ankara, a small bomb exploded outside the Hilton Hotel, injuring three people, including two police officers.
One officer lost a foot in the blast, said Adil Surat, head of the trauma unit at Hacettepe University hospital, speaking to the Anatolia news agency.
A second officer had scratches on his face and appeared to be in shock. He was in good condition, as was the civilian, Surat said.
The officers were injured when they approached a package containing the explosives after an anonymous tip that a bomb was placed nearby, Police Chief Ercument Yilmaz said.
The bomb exploded 75 yards from the hotel entrance, shattering windows of nearby buildings.
Bush is scheduled to arrive in Ankara late Saturday night and will meet Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Sezer on Sunday.
The NATO summit beginning Monday also will be attended by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac, among others.
Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said security would be heightened after the blast. Turkish media had been reporting that 7,000 police officers would be on duty in the capital for Bush's visit.
"There are people with bad intentions who can take every risk to fulfill their goal," Sahin said.
Militant Islamic, Kurdish and leftist groups have carried out past attacks in Turkey, and scores of people believed to be linked to such groups have been detained in security sweeps in recent weeks.
Concerns about security have grown in Turkey since November, when four suicide truck bombings killed more than 60 people in attacks on two synagogues, the British consulate and a London-based bank. Prosecutors say a Turkish al-Qaida-linked cell carried out those attacks.
About a half-dozen small bombs designed primarily to make noise and not cause serious damage have exploded in Istanbul in recent days. Leftist groups have used the bombs in the past. Several people have been injured, mostly by shattered glass.
Security in Istanbul is expected to be extremely tight for the NATO summit. Concrete barriers will seal off a zone in the heart of the city and surveillance aircraft will help monitor a no-fly zone over the area. The Bosporus Strait will be closed to oil traffic ahead of the summit.
abcnews (http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040624_517.html)
Explosion Aboard a Bus in Istanbul Kills at Least Three and Injures Eight, Police Say
The Associated Press
http://a.abcnews.com/images/autowirestory/AP/IST80106241039.jpeg
ISTANBUL, Turkey June 24, 2004 — A bomb blast aboard a bus killed at least three people and injured eight, a senior police official said. Earlier, a bomb exploded outside the Ankara hotel where President Bush is expected to stay before this weekend's NATO summit.
The Istanbul explosion occurred as the bus traveled in a residential area of the city, the police official said on condition of anonymity. Ambulances rushed to the scene in the Fatih district, about five miles from the summit area.
About 250 miles away in Ankara, a small bomb exploded outside the Hilton Hotel, injuring three people, including two police officers.
One officer lost a foot in the blast, said Adil Surat, head of the trauma unit at Hacettepe University hospital, speaking to the Anatolia news agency.
A second officer had scratches on his face and appeared to be in shock. He was in good condition, as was the civilian, Surat said.
The officers were injured when they approached a package containing the explosives after an anonymous tip that a bomb was placed nearby, Police Chief Ercument Yilmaz said.
The bomb exploded 75 yards from the hotel entrance, shattering windows of nearby buildings.
Bush is scheduled to arrive in Ankara late Saturday night and will meet Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Sezer on Sunday.
The NATO summit beginning Monday also will be attended by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac, among others.
Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said security would be heightened after the blast. Turkish media had been reporting that 7,000 police officers would be on duty in the capital for Bush's visit.
"There are people with bad intentions who can take every risk to fulfill their goal," Sahin said.
Militant Islamic, Kurdish and leftist groups have carried out past attacks in Turkey, and scores of people believed to be linked to such groups have been detained in security sweeps in recent weeks.
Concerns about security have grown in Turkey since November, when four suicide truck bombings killed more than 60 people in attacks on two synagogues, the British consulate and a London-based bank. Prosecutors say a Turkish al-Qaida-linked cell carried out those attacks.
About a half-dozen small bombs designed primarily to make noise and not cause serious damage have exploded in Istanbul in recent days. Leftist groups have used the bombs in the past. Several people have been injured, mostly by shattered glass.
Security in Istanbul is expected to be extremely tight for the NATO summit. Concrete barriers will seal off a zone in the heart of the city and surveillance aircraft will help monitor a no-fly zone over the area. The Bosporus Strait will be closed to oil traffic ahead of the summit.
abcnews (http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040624_517.html)