Four held in Turkey NATO plot probe

Turkish police have arrested four men suspected of planning to bomb a NATO summit to be attended by George Bush in Istanbul this month.

Bomb-making materials were also seized, said police. The four were believed to be members of Ansar al-Islam, a group linked to the al-Qaida terrorist network.

The round-up in Istanbul came amid heightened security in the run-up to the June 28-29 meeting of NATO leaders and follows a series of bombings in the city last year.

Last month, police in the north-western city of Bursa detained 16 suspected Ansar al-Islam members suspected of planning a bomb attack during the summit.

Nine were charged with terrorism.

Police believe the four suspects held yesterday had connections with those arrested in Bursa, according to the police official.

More than 60 people were killed in November when suspected members of a Turkish al-Qaida cell bombed two synagogues, a London-based bank and the British Consulate.

Turkish officials have charged 69 people in connection with those blasts.

Turkey has heightened security ahead of the NATO meeting, launching security sweeps throughout the country.

Some 30,000 police and other security forces, are expected to be on duty at the summit.