Turkey will host the NATO summit in Istanbul June 27-29, with preliminary meetings beginning as early as June 24. Many groups are expected to attend and anti-American protests are planned. Travelers should avoid the area where the summit is being held because security will be tight and demonstrations could become violent. Transit in the area is likely to be disrupted. Further, on May 3, nine alleged members of a local radical Islamic group with links to al-Qaeda were sent to prison for plotting to attack the summit.
