Turkiye on Thursday refuted claims made by Indian media outlets claiming that Ankara had a link to the car blast in Delhi earlier this week.

A day prior, the Indian government confirmed that it was treating a car blast that killed 12 people and wounded at least 20 others in Delhi as a “terror incident” and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice as swiftly as possible.

In a statement, Turkiye’s Directorate of Communications rejected the allegations and displayed screenshots of social media posts by two Indian outlets, which claimed Ankara had a “role in radicalising sleeper cells against India, [the] Turkish government is providing logistical, diplomatic and financial help to all terrorist groups across the world”.

“The deliberate reports in certain Indian media outlets … are part of a malicious disinformation campaign aimed at damaging bilateral relations between the two countries,” Ankara’s statement read.

Turkiye rejected acts of terror “regardless of where or by whom they are committed” and noted its contributions to counter-terrorism frameworks by the United Nations and Nato.

“The claim that Turkiye engages in ‘radicalisation activities’ targeting India or any other country is purely disinformative and lacks any factual basis,” the statement added.

“Such unfounded and manipulative reports targeting Turkiye are attempts to undermine our country’s contributions to international peace, security, and stability. The public is kindly advised not to give credence to such disinformative claims.”

The explosion was reported near the Red Fort in the Indian capital of New Delhi on Monday, in which at least eight people were killed and at least 20 people were injured. The toll later rose to 12.

“A slow-moving vehicle stopped at a red light. An explosion happened in that vehicle, and due to the explosion, nearby vehicles were also damaged,” Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha told reporters. “The situation is being monitored.”

At least six vehicles and three autorickshaws caught fire, Delhi’s deputy fire chief said, adding that the flames had been doused by firefighting teams.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to bring to justice all those responsible, while his Home Minister, Amit Shah, said he had instructed officials “to hunt down each and every culprit behind this incident”.