Turkey’s top judges met on Monday to discuss a petition to close down the governing party just hours after a bomb killed 17 people, adding to the shock and uncertainty gripping the country.

The attack was the worst in Turkey since 2003 and caused widespread revulsion. Tensions were already high surrounding the closure case, which has pitted the religiously rooted governing Justice and Development party (AKP) against the secular establishment. The bomb attack raised the temperature even further although there was no indication that they were linked.