Envoy’s killer unlikely to have worked alone: officials

ANKARA • The Turkish policeman who assassinated Russia’s ambassador was unlikely to have acted alone, a senior Turkish government official said Tuesday, as investigators from both countries hunted for clues as to who might have been behind the killing.

Russian investigators on Tuesday inspected the art gallery in the Turkish capital of Ankara where Ambassador Andrey Karlov was shot dead Monday evening by Mevlut Mert Altintas. The 22-yearold gunman, a member of Ankara’s riot police squad, had shouted slogans about the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo as he killed the envoy.

Russia’s entrance into Syria’s war helped turn the tide of the conflict and heralded a series of victories for government forces. Up until a few months ago, the Russian military was bombing rebel positions in Aleppo.

“Don’t forget Aleppo! Don’t forget Syria!” Altintas shouted during the attack. He was subsequently killed by police in a different part of the building.

The senior government official described the assassination as “fully professional, not a one-man action” and said the attack was well-planned.

Turkish authorities have not publicly released any information about the investigation or a possible motive for the policeman.

Still, Turkish police have detained seven people in connection with the gunman: his parents, sister, three other relatives and his roommate in Ankara, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

Karlov’s body was flown home to Moscow on Tuesday afternoon after an emotional ceremony at Ankara’s Esenboga International Airport. Karlov’s wife, Marina Karlova, wept as her husband’s flag-draped coffin was carried by a Turkish honour guard. “Ambassador Karlov has become the eternal symbol of Turkish-Russian friendship,” Deputy Prime Minister Tugrul Turkes said at the ceremony.