Russia seeking answers in killing
A TEAM of Russian detectives arrived in Turkey early yesterday to assist with the investigation into the killing of Russia’s ambassador by a Turkish police officer, an act leaders in both countries said was an effort to rupture a rapprochement between the two regional powers as they try to reach an accommodation over Syria’s civil war.
A Kremlin spokesman said President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had jointly agreed to include the Russian task force in the investigation. Officer Mevlut Mert Al t i nt as gunned down Ambassador Andrei Karlov as the diplomat spoke before an exhibition of Russian photos at an art gallery in the Turkish capital of Ankara Monday evening.
After killing the ambassador, Altintas, a 22-year-old officer with the riot police, denounced Russia’s role in the Syrian war, screaming: “Don’t forget Aleppo! Don’t forget Syria!” He was later killed in a gun battle with the police.
The assassination, which was captured in stunning detail by an Associated Press photographer and other journalists, brought into sharp relief the violent worldwide reverberations of Syria’s bloody civil war.
The ambassador’s killing has also shocked Turkey, adding to a string of recent militant attacks and political turmoil that have hurt the economy and increasingly isolated the country.
“I believe that every person who is going to Turkey CONTINUED
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