ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- A small bomb exploded Thursday in front of the hotel where U.S. President George W. Bush is expected to stay when he visits Ankara for meetings with Turkish leaders. One police officer was badly injured, a security official said.
The injured police officer was standing near the bomb when it went off, tearing off one of his legs, the security officer said on customary condition of anonymity.
Police had been notified of a suspicious package on the street some 75 meters (yards) from the entrance to the hotel. The bomb exploded as officers approached the package to investigate.
Several ambulances were seen rushing to the scene.
Police sealed off the street and were towing away vehicles parked there as a security precaution.
Militant Islamic groups, Kurdish separatists and leftists have carried out attacks in Turkey in the past.
Bush is scheduled to arrive in Ankara late Saturday night and meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Sezer on Sunday.
Bush is visiting Ankara ahead of a NATO summit Monday in Istanbul, which British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac and other alliance leaders are also scheduled to attend.
Concerns about security have grown in Turkey since last November, when four suicide truck bombings killed more than 60 people in attacks on two synagogues, the British consulate and a London-based bank. Prosecutors say a Turkish al Qaeda-linked cell carried out the attacks.
Scores of people believed to be linked to Islamic, Kurdish or leftist groups have been detained in security sweeps in recent weeks.
About a half-dozen small "sound bombs" -- explosives designed primarily to make noise and not cause serious damage -- have exploded in Istanbul since last week. Leftist groups have used the bombs in the past. Several people have been injured, most by shattered glass.
Security in Istanbul is expected to be extremely tight for the NATO summit.
Turkish security forces are using concrete barriers to seal off a zone in the heart of the city and surveillance aircraft are being prepared to help monitor a no-fly zone over the area.
The Bosporus will also be closed to oil traffic ahead of the summit.