Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan condemned Tuesday’s terrorist attack in Constantinople, Tuesday that resulted in the death of seven police officers and 5 civilians. ‘We expect attacks from terrorist like the one today at any moment’, said Erdogan. He vowed the fight against terrorism would continue adding that it was ‘an unforgivable act’. The foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, also condemned the bombing. “[These attackers] are cold-heartedly exploding bombs on a day of Ramadan,” he said in a Turkish television interview after the attack.

The explosion occurred at a busy intersection in the Vezneciler district, during morning rush hour, near Istanbul University and the Grand Bazaar. The Istanbul governor, Vasip Şahin, said a parked car packed with explosives was detonated by remote control the moment a bus carrying riot police personnel passed by. Turkey has been on a high security alert after two deadly attacks in Istanbul this year blamed on Islamic State jihadis, and twin attacks in Ankara that killed dozens and were claimed by Kurdish militants. Turkish police have arrested four suspects for questioning.