Category:Russia

19 December, 2016. Andrey Karlov, Russian Ambassador to Turkey, was shot in Ankara and later died of his wounds. [http://tass.ru/proisshestviya/3887350 TASS chronicle, in Russ. , here]. AP report relates details: the killer was was identified as Mevlut Mert Altintas, born 1994, a riot policeman acting alone. Altintas killed the ambassador at an exhibit of Russian art in front of a crowd, including an AP reporter, declaring Russia's alleged crimes in Syria as the motive, while praising Jihad and shouting Allahu Akbar. He was then killed in a shootout with other policemen, The leaders of Turkey and Russia said the attack in Ankara, the Turkish capital, was an attempt to disrupt efforts to repair ties between their countries, which have backed opposing sides in the Syrian civil war. All governments and the UN have condemned the crime, and Russia plans to send investigators; "We must know who was directing the killer," Putin said in televised remarks.