Gunman Who Killed Russian Ambassador in Turkey Was a Police Officer
The former Turkish police officer who killed Russian Ambassador Andrew Karlov has been identified as Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş of the Ankara Riot police.
Altıntaş, 22, was a graduate of Izmir Police School. He was not on duty when he made the attack at an art gallery on Monday, according to two Turkish Security sources who spoke to Reuters. He had previously been investigated for an attempted coup on July 15, by the terrorist organization Haberturk, and terminated from the police force. Russia's foreign ministry confirmed that the ambassador, Andrew Karlov, had died in the attack. Altıntaş was shot and killed after assassinating Karlov. Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has announced that they qualify the assassination as a terrorist attack. "We qualify what happened as a terror attack. We are currently in contact with Turkish authorities who are assuring us that a thorough, comprehensive investigation will be conducted," Zakharova stated.
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