Family of diplomat’s assassin released

Relatives of officer who killed Russian envoy questioned

ISTANBUL // Turkey released six relatives of the man who killed the Russian ambassador to Ankara yesterday after holding them for almost three days for questioning.

Investigators are looking for links between the killer, Turkish policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas, and the movement of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara blames for the failed July 15 coup.

Russia, which laid Andrei Karlov to rest yesterday, has urged caution.

Both parents, the sister, two uncles and an aunt of the assassin were released after questioning in the western province of Aydin, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency said.

Turkish media said the authorities were still holding six suspects linked to the Rustu Unsal police academy in Izmir, where Altintas studied from 2012-2014 and where officials believe he fell under the influence of Mr Gulen. Among these are Suleyman Ergen, who Turkey accuses of being a senior Gulen agent at the academy. On Wednesday, Mr Erdogan said there was “no need to make a secret out of the fact” that Altintas was a member of Mr Gulen’s group. Turkey has cracked down on what it calls the Fethullah terror organisation (Feto) in the wake of the July coup attempt.

The president said the assassination showed Gulen supporters were still present within the security forces and that purges needed to continue.

But the Kremlin, which has sent 18 investigators to Ankara, indicated that it was not the time for hurried pronouncements on responsibility. Mr Gulen condemned Monday’s assassination and denied involvement in the coup attempt.