The Russian Ambassador to Ankara Andrey Karlov was shot in the back and killed while giving a speech at an art gallery last night, an incident which marked one of the most serious spillovers of the Syria conflict. “Russian ambassador Andrey Karlov was attacked during his speech. In Guven Hospital where he was taken, he didn’t have any vital signs, he didn’t give any response to medical intervention. Our dear friend, the ambassador, lost his life,” said Suleyman Soylu, Turkish Interior Minister.
The assassin was identified as 22 years-old Mevlut Altintas, a Turkish riot policeman who worked as an officer for two and a half years. A Turkish journalist for the Haberturk daily, who was present at the art gallery during the incident described the moment when the terrorist shot dead the Russian ambassador. “A person who shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ behind the ambassador said: ‘You killed civilians in Syria, you will not get away with this.’ He took out his gun and pointed it at the ambassador first and then to everyone else in the room. We lied down in panic. I saw the attacker pointing the gun towards ceiling and the ambassador lying on the ground unfortunately,” said Bahar Bakir, Eyewitness – Journalist for Haberturk Newspaper.
Turkish officials stressed that the assassination “has deeply” saddened the Turkish nation, saying it came at a time when Turkey and Russia had improved relations. Turkey said it has opened an joint-investigation with its Russian counterparts into the incident and promised to rename the street where the Russian embassy is located after ambassador Karlov.