Istanbul, 2 February 2023 (dpa/MIA) – Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu on Thursday accused the United States and certain European countries of waging "psychological war" on Turkey by closing their diplomatic missions in the country on fears of a terrorist threat.

Soylu said the countries had purposefully chosen Friday, precisely the day on which Turkey set a target of attracting 60 million tourists a year.

The warnings from the US, Germany, Sweden, Britain and Switzerland of increased risk of attack in Turkey came after tensions between Turkey and some European countries flared over protests Ankara considers Islamophobic or anti-Turkish.

Most recently, the right-wing extremist Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan set a Koran on fire in front of a mosque in Stockholm, threatening to do this every week until Turkey approved Sweden's accession to NATO.

Berlin too has warned the public of a risk and the Foreign Ministry has not lifted its warning, saying that its general consulate in Istanbul would remain closed on Friday.

It cited "precise and concrete" information of a threat, mentioning in particular Istanbul's Beyoglu inner city area, the Istiklal shopping street and Taksim Square, as well as the Levent quarter, which is home to many consulates.

It did not name any groups behind the threat.

Sweden, along with Finland, wants to join NATO as a result of Russia's war on Ukraine. All NATO members must agree to this but Turkey and Hungary have not yet said yes.

Erdoğan is on the campaign trail, with parliamentary and presidential elections expected to be held in mid-May. Erdoğan's religious indignation plays well with his conservative base.