Massive security

last updated 8 January 2015

Istanbul

Turkey has locked down Istanbul, in an unprecedented security sweep ahead of the NATO summit scheduled for June 28. Police have already detained dozens of people believed to be linked to Islamic, Kurdish, and leftist militant groups. Authorities have cordoned off a half-mile square area with concrete barriers, and residents of the zone have been issued special passes to allow them access to their homes. A no-fly zone will be in effect over the region, and the Bosporus strait, which cuts through the city and links the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, will be closed to tanker traffic. “We have no intelligence of a serious threat,” said Istanbul Gov. Muammar Guler. “But we are nonetheless carrying out intelligence work and planned operations against underground groups. There is nothing to worry about.” Terrorist attacks in Istanbul killed more than 60 people in November, and several smaller attacks have occurred since then.