Istanbul: President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday vowed to avenge the assassination of Russia’s ambassador in Ankara Andrei Karlov as he and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted the killing won’t undermine the restoration of ties strained by the war in Syria.
The Russian ambassador was shot dead in a brazen attack by a Turkish policeman at the opening of a photography exhibition on Monday in what both sides branded an “act of terror.”
The assassination, by a gunman shouting “Allahu Akbar” and “Don’t forget Aleppo”, came after days of protests in Turkey over Russia’s role in Syria and on the eve of an unprecedented meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Iran on the conflict.
Russia seeks answers over envoy murder
A team of Russian investigators arrived in Turkey on Tuesday to probe the assassination of Moscow’s ambassador in an Ankara art gallery, as both sides pledged the murder would not damage improving relations.
Veteran diplomat Andrei Karlov was shot nine times in the back by off-duty Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas at the opening of an exhibition of Russian photography on Monday.
Altintas did not go through the metal detector security check when he entered the exhibition in central Ankara and was warned by a security officer, said the Cankaya municipality in Ankara where the exhibition centre is located. He had stayed at a nearby hotel to prepare for the attack.
But after showing his police ID, he was allowed to proceed, it said.Meanwhile, the Turkish authorities have detained six people, including the killer’s parents, sister, roommate and two other relatives who are being questioned, Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reported.
