The Istanbul Governorate criticized Germany's decision to shut down its consulate and close a German school in the city yesterday over "security concerns." The governorate said in a written statement that the decision can "negatively influence the public," referring to the heightened scare after Sunday's bomb attack in the capital, Ankara, which killed 37 people in a transport hub.

German authorities, citing a "serious threat," had shut down the consulate in the city and a German school. The German Embassy in Ankara had announced that it would remain closed for the day.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters in Berlin that their security services received several "very concrete and very serious indications that terrorist attacks were planned against their diplomatic missions in Turkey."

The Istanbul Governorate said "some foreign country representations in our country apparently tried to take measures and action that would affect the public negatively without consulting with authorities and based on unconfirmed rumors." The governorate called people not to take heed of false messages in social media and some media outlets that aim to incite anxiety among people by exploiting people's sensitivity in the wake of terror attacks.