Police detain four suspects after Istanbul blast

Police have detained four suspects in connection with a deadly blast in Istanbul yesterday in which 11 people died and 36 others were injured.

The blast targeted a police bus near the metro and bus stations in Istanbul's Vezneciler District early on Tuesday morning.

The governor of Istanbul, Vasip Sahin, confirmed the deaths and injuries from the attack, which was carried out with an explosives-laden car timed to detonate when a police bus was passing by.

He said seven policemen and four civilians were killed in the blast.

Three of the injured were said to be in critical condition.

The blast also damaged shops and vehicles. Gunshots were also reported after the blast.

Police cordoned off the area and evacuated premises near the scene of the blast, while the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Interior Minister Efkan Ala held a meeting minutes after the explosion to take stock of the security situation.

'Fight against terrorists will continue'

Hours after the deadly attack, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the victims of yesterday's blast in a hospital in Istanbul, later telling media that the fight against terrorism would continue.

Strongly condemning the attack, President Erdogan sent condolences to the families of the victims as well as the nation.

"This cannot be forgiven … they are going to pay for this," he said.

Erdogan said terrorists do not distinguish between the police, soldiers and civilians, meaning that it's impossible to know where terror will strike and "we should be ready for such attacks."