Russia joins probe into envoy assassination in Ankara

Andrey Karlov was speaking at a photo exhibition in the capital when he was gunned down by a Turkish off-duty policeman.

The assailant is seen in this photo at the rear on the left [Burhan Ozbilici/AP]

by Al Jazeera

Turkish authorities detained six people after the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey as Moscow dispatched more than a dozen investigators to join the probe into the killing.

Ambassador Andrey Karlov, 62, died from gunshot wounds after a 22-year-old off-duty Turkish policeman shot him in the back as he gave a speech at an Ankara art gallery on Monday night.

“The group will act in Turkey within the framework of the investigation into the murder,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

“Eighteen people will work in the group,” said Peskov, adding Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan had agreed to the move in a phone call.

Karlov was several minutes into a speech at an embassy-sponsored photography exhibition when a man who stood directly behind him in a dark suit shot the diplomat in the back from close range multiple times.

Shouting angrily while pacing around the body in front of a shocked crowd, the assailant – identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas – said all those responsible for what has happened in Syria and Aleppo would be held accountable. “We die in Aleppo, you die here,” he screamed.

Police later killed the gunman in a firefight that lasted 15 minutes.

An unprecedented three-way meeting between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, and Iran in Moscow over the Syria crisis began on Tuesday where the Russian foreign minister said “no quarter should be given to terrorists in Syria” after the murder of the envoy.

Earlier Putin declared “we have to know who directed the hand of the killer”.

The state-run Anadolu agency said the attacker’s mother, father, sister and two other relatives were held in the western province of Aydin, while his flatmate in Ankara was also detained.

After the initial shot, the attacker approached Karlov as he lay on the ground and shot him at least one more time at close range, according to an AP photographer at the scene.

He also smashed several of the framed photos on exhibition, but later let the stunned guests out of the venue.

The spectacle of Karlov’s assassination by a member of the Turkish security forces at a photography exhibition meant to highlight Russian culture reinforced the sense of unease over the region’s conflict and complex web of alliances and relationships.

“On behalf of my country and my people I once again extend my condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the friendly Russian people,” said Erdogan.

Putin promised a response to the assassination.

“The crime that has been committed is undoubtedly a provocation aimed at derailing the ties between Russia and Turkey, as well as the peace process in Syria,” said Putin from Moscow. “There is only one possible response to this – the strengthening of the fight against terror, and the bandits will feel it themselves.”

Relations between Russia and Turkey were badly strained by the downing of a Russian warplane at the Syrian border in November 2015, but Turkey’s apology earlier this year helped to overcome the rift.

‘Don’t forget Aleppo’

The assailant highlighted the situation in Aleppo after he shot the ambassador in the back.

“Don’t forget Aleppo, don’t forget Syria,” the attacker said.

“Whoever took part in this cruelty will pay the price, one by one … Only death will take me from here,” the man said while holding a pistol.

He then continued in Arabic, saying: “We are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Muhammad, for jihad.”