Russian ambassador killed in Turkey

The tragic news shook the world yesterday: Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was killed while speaking at a photo exhibition event in Ankara. A man in a dark suit, who stood calmly behind the ambassador, suddenly pulled a gun and fired at least eight shots at Karlov, shouting “Allahu Akbar”. After the 62 years-old-men fell to the floor, the angry attacker continued to shout in Turkish: “Don’t forget Aleppo! Don’t forget Syria! Unless our towns are secure, you won’t enjoy security. Only death can take me from here. Everyone who is involved in this suffering will pay a price!”

The killer was identified as a former Turkish police officer, 22  years old Mevlut Mert Altintas. The man worked for two and a half years in Ankara`s riot police department, but at the time of the attack, he was no longer on the duty. According to unconfirmed reports, Altintas was suspended for several weeks until mid-November because of his alleged relations to the plotters which were behind Turkey`s failed coup attempt in July. It is still unclear whether the cause of his attack was the destruction of Aleppo or a try to ruin ties between Russia and Turkey, but one thing is sure – this cruel murder is considered to be a terrorist attack.

“The crime that was committed is, without a doubt, a provocation aimed at disrupting the normalization of Russian-Turkish relations and disrupting the peace process in Syria that is being actively advanced by Russia, Turkey and Iran,” stated Russian president, Vladimir Putin. He said that the Russian officials will be dispatched to Turkish capital for investigating this attack and that the terrorists will pay for violence. “We have to know who directed the hand of the killer”, said Putin. “There can be only one answer to this – stepping up the fight against terrorism, and the bandits will feel this.”

“It has saddened us and our people. I offer my condolences to the Russian federation and the Russian people”, the Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters.

The president-elect of the United States also made a statement for the media. “Today we offer our condolences to the family and loved ones of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov, who was assassinated by a radical Islamic terrorist. The murder of an ambassador is a violation of all rules of civilized order and must be universally condemned”, said Donald Trump.

The terrorist, Mevlut Mert Altintas, was killed yesterday by Turkish Special Forces after the gallery was surrounded by police. Three people were also wounded in the shooting. The family of the late killer was detained for further questioning, and their family home was searched for any sort of the evidence which might help the investigation.