"Today, the police of Istanbul have foiled a big terrorist attack. As a result of our police's vigilance, a 5-kilogram (11-pound) explosive device planted in a car was found at the bus station. Two people, who planted the explosive device, have been detained and are in custody," Soylu told the NTV broadcaster on late Wednesday.
He added that all the detained people were members of the PKK, banned in Turkey, which Ankara accuses of abducting Turkish nationals and launching deadly attacks on border towns.
The Turkish government has been fighting the PKK, which seeks to establish a Kurdish autonomy in Turkey, since the early 1980s. The PKK and Ankara signed a ceasefire agreement in 2013, but it collapsed just two years later over several terror attacks reportedly committed by PKK militants.