Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov speaking at a gallery in Ankara before being shot. (AP/Burhan Ozbilici)
A Muslim terrorist shouted “Allahu Akbar!” and “We die in Aleppo, you die here” as he shot the Russian ambassador to Turkey.
Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov, 62, was assassinated Monday in Ankara.
The ambassador was speaking at an embassy-sponsored photo exhibition in the Turkish capital when 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, a police officer in the Ankara special operations unit, shot him from behind five times.
Altintas, apparently angry at Russia for its role in helping the Syrian government capture the city of Aleppo from rebel forces, was killed after turning his weapon on security officials.
Karlov, who served in his post as ambassador since 2013, was rushed to the hospital for treatment, where doctors confirmed his death. Three other people were reportedly injured in the attack, but their conditions are unknown.
Hurriyet Daily News quoted the Russian embassy as saying that “radical Islamists” were behind the attack.
CBS News is reporting that an AP photographer in the audience, while listening to the ambassador’s speech, saw Altintas stand up, and shout “Allahu Akbar” before firing at the ambassador.
Business Insider translated his shouts in Arabic during the assassination as, “We’ve made an oath to Mohammed to die in martyrdom, [it is] revenge for Syria and Aleppo.”
Altintas then switched to Turkish and continued, “Don’t forget Aleppo. Don’t forget Syria… You won’t be safe. Only my dead body will leave here.”
According to CNN Turk, Altintas used his police ID to enter the gallery.
The murder immediately preceded a scheduled meeting to be held in Moscow on Tuesday between the defense ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey regarding the future of Syria. According to Interfax News Agency, Russian parliamentarian Leonid Slutsky stressed that there are no plans to postpone the meeting.
Russia and Turkey have been at odds with one another over the Syrian civil war. Russia has continued to staunchly support its long-time Syrian ally, President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey has backed the rebels. Ties between Russia and Turkey soured and went downhill after Turkey fired on a Russian military plane, which it claimed to have entered Turkish airspace, in November of 2015.
By: Eli Stein and Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News
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