Assassin of Russian ambassador identified as off-duty Turkish police officer
Source: TRIBUNE WASHINGTON BUREAU
19 DEC 2016 AT 19:48 ET
Istanbul — An off-duty Turkish police officer who shouted, "Do not forget about Syria and Aleppo!" shot and killed Russia's ambassador to Turkey on Monday as he delivered a speech in the capital, Ankara — a bloody episode that was captured on video and posted on social media.
The assailant, identified by Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu as a 22-year-old riot policeman, was himself gunned down by security forces. The ambassador, who was shot multiple times, was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time after the shooting, officials said.
The attack appeared to represent the latest violent spillover of the Syrian conflict into neighboring Turkey. Suicide bombings linked to the fighting in Syria have become almost commonplace in Turkey, often causing mass casualties, but this was the first deadly attack on a senior diplomat that was seemingly motivated by the brutal and multisided war next door.
Russia and Turkey, which have both intervened militarily in Syria, are on opposite sides of the conflict. Russian firepower has helped Syrian President Bashar Assad cling to power and recapture opposition-held east Aleppo; Turkey has allied itself with some of the rebels seeking to topple him.
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Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2016/12/assassin-of-russian-ambassador-identified-as-off-duty-turkish-police-officer/
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