Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu stated Monday that Ankara rejects the US Embassy's condolences over the Istanbul attack.

The White House issued a strong condemnation of the violence in Istanbul and expressed heartfelt sympathies to those who lost loved ones.

Commenting on the US’ statement, Soylu said, as cited by the CNN Turk broadcaster, "We know where the attack was coordinated. We have received the message given to us and we know what that message is. We do not accept condolences from the US Embassy. We are not treacherous to anyone, but we no longer have any tolerance for these insidious acts. The Istiklal street is our child." 

The minister added that the culprit could have gone to Greece on Monday if Ankara had not apprehended him.

Earlier, Soylu stated that the suspect who planted an explosive device in Istanbul on Sunday has been arrested.

The explosion

A strong explosion was heard Sunday in a busy area in the heart of Istanbul. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the explosion in Istanbul left six people dead and 53 injured.

The suspect in the deadly attack has been identified as a Syrian national and had allegedly admitted to having ties with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, as per Milliyet newspaper.

For his part, Turkey's Vice President Fuat Oktay said, "We believe that it is a terrorist act carried out by an attacker, whom we consider to be a woman, exploding the bomb."

Oktay added that the explosion, which the authorities classified as a terrorist act, injured 81 persons, 39 of whom have since been released from hospitals.

Istiklal Street was hit during a 2015-2016 attack campaign targeting Istanbul and other cities, including Ankara. These bombings, which killed nearly 500 people and injured over 2,000, were mostly blamed on ISIS and outlawed Kurdish militants.

Istiklal Street in Istanbul's ancient district of Beyoglu is one of the city's most well-known thoroughfares.