 Anti-terror police in Istanbul detained 12 people believed to be Chechen militants ahead of an official visit to Turkey Sunday and Monday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, police and media reports said. The spokesman in Ankara for the security department, Ramazan Er, confirmed that police detained 12 people in Istanbul in connection with the Putin visit and seized weapons, as well as computers and CDs. Er declined to elaborate, saying the investigation was still under way. Istanbul is not on Putin's itinerary. The NTV news channel said nine of the people detained in the operation, conducted jointly by anti-terror police and intelligence services, were Chechens, while the other three were Turkish nationals of Chechen descent. Two women were among the group, NTV said. Russia has accused Ankara of turning a blind eye to the activities of Chechen separatists, who enjoy popular support in Turkey, home to large communities of Turkish-speaking nations from the Caucasus -- an accusation Turkey has categorically denied. Putin's visit will take place amid a massive security cordon, with more than 3,000 policemen mobilized to assure the Russian leader's safety in Ankara, according to media reports. |