Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey since 2013, has been seriously wounded after he was shot at a photo exhibition in Ankara.
He has been shifted to the hospital for treatment.
Ambassador Andrei Karlov. BBC
Karlov was reportedly shot in the back by a yet unidentified man who shouted “we die in Aleppo, you die here”.
This was a first event attended by Russian Ambassador following the rapprochement. The gunman said, “we die in Aleppo, you die here”
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) December 19, 2016
The gunman also injured several others in a frenetic shooting spree.
The picture of the gunman in Ankara attack who targeted the Russian Ambassador: Turkish media pic.twitter.com/wOgVswN24i
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) December 19, 2016
Turkish media reports that the gunman has been “neutralised”. The Russian ambassador had very light security since he was attending a private event.
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#BREAKING The video shows the attack scene moments after Russian Ambassador shot to death. He shouts “don’t forget Aleppo, Syria” pic.twitter.com/xtX974W39t
— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) December 19, 2016
The shooting comes a day after widespread protests in Turkey over Russia’s involvement in the Syrian war in Bashar al-Assad’s favour.
It should be noted here that Russia and Turkey had a bitter fallout in December 2015 after the Erdogan government allowed the shooting down of a Russian fighter jet. The pilot of the Su-24 was cowardly shot by Syrian rebels while he was descending by parachute. The weapons system officer of the fighter was rescued.
Russia and Turkey did not go to war but relations almost ended with Russia placing sanctions on Turkey. In June 2016, Erdogan wrote a letter to Putin in which he said that his country was investigating the downing of the jet. Following the failed coup against him, Erdogan told Russia that two Turkish pilots had been arrested for downing the Su-24.
Tensions between Russia and Turkey had by now eased. Yet Turkey under Erdogan continues to oppose Russian action in Syria. Moscow says that its airstrikes are directed at Islamic State but Ankara, which backs the rebels, claims otherwise.
