The attack, which killed 11 people and injured at least 36, came on the second day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan [Xinhua]
At least 11 people, including seven policemen, were killed when a car bomb tore through a popular tourist spot in central Istanbul, Turkey on Tuesday.
Security officials said that at least 36 people were also injured in the remotely detonated car bomb in the historic Beyazit district of the city.
The bombing appeared to have targeted a bus transporting members of the police force.
In the first official reaction to the bombing, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu condemned the attack as the work of cold hearted criminals who are taking advantage of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a time set aside for piety and prayer.
Although there has been no immediate claim of responsibility, suspicion was quickly cast on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has attacked police and security members in southeast Turkey.
Southern Turkey has in the past few months been embroiled in a re-intensified war with the PKK, which is internationally classified as a terrorist organization.
But there have also been a number of deadly bombings and suicide bomber attacks in Istanbul and the capital Ankara in recent months, both of which were claimed by Kurdish militant groups affiliated with the PKK.
The attacks intensified after Turkey joined the US-led coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies
Source