Blast near McDonald's in Istanbul

A small blast shook a car park outside a McDonald's restaurant in Istanbul yesterday but nobody was injured, Turkish television reported. The private TV8 channel quoted police radio as saying the blast was from a percussion bomb, which makes a loud...

A small blast shook a car park outside a McDonald's restaurant in Istanbul yesterday but nobody was injured, Turkish television reported.

The private TV8 channel quoted police radio as saying the blast was from a percussion bomb, which makes a loud bang, but causes little damage. It said police rushed to the scene, in the Acibadem district on the Asian side of Istanbul.

Security is of special concern in Turkey's largest city in the lead-up to a Nato summit in late June which will be attended by US President George W. Bush and other Western leaders.

The blast came just hours after police in Italy said they found two small homemade bombs outside a McDonald's fast food outlet on the outskirts of Rome.

Last Sunday night, four percussion bombs exploded outside branches of British bank HSBC in Istanbul and the capital Ankara, just hours before a brief visit to Turkey by British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

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