The Russian Ambassador to Turkey has been shot dead in broad daylight while giving a talk at a gallery in Ankara.
Ambassador Andrei Karlov
The Russian ambassador to Ankara was shot in an attack at an art
gallery in the Turkish capital on Monday and the Russian RIA news agency
said he had died of his wounds.
The Anadolu news agency said the gunman had been "neutralized" soon
after the attack, which appeared to mark one of the most serious
spillovers of the Syria conflict in Turkey. Relations between Moscow and
Ankara have long been fraught over the conflict, the two supporting
opposing sides.
Ambassador Andrei Karlov made a speech at the opening of a
photographic exhibition. Hurriyet newspaper said Turkish special forces
had surrounded the building. NTV said three other people were wounded.
A Reuters witness said that while gunfire rang out for some time
after the attack, it had now stopped. A Hurriyet newspaper reporter said
the attacker chanted Islamist slogans.
Russia and Turkey have been involved in conflict in Syria across
the border from where over two million Syrian refugees have settled.
Turkey has been a staunch opponent of President Bashar al-Assad while
Russia has deployed troops and its air force in support of the Syrian
leader.
Tensions have escalated in recent weeks as Russian-backed Syrian
forces have fought for control of the eastern part of the city of
Aleppo, triggering a stream of refugees.
It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack. Islamic
State militants have been active in Turkey and carried out several bomb
attacks on Turkish targets.
A photograph posted on twitter showed a man in a black suit holding
a pistol, standing close to a podium in the gallery, its walls hung
with pictures. Four people including what appeared to be the ambassador
lay on the floor.
Russia and Turkey have both been involved in the conflict in Syria,
which borders Turkey. Turkey has been a staunch opponent of Assad,
while Russia has deployed troops and its air force in support of the
Syrian leader.
The U.S. State Department, involved in diplomatic contacts with
Russia in an attempt to resolve a refugee crisis unfolding around the
city of Aleppo, condemned the attack.
Tensions have escalated in recent weeks as Russian-backed Syrian
forces have fought for control of the eastern part of the city of
Aleppo, triggering a stream of refugees.
It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack. Islamic
State militants have been active in Turkey and carried out several bomb
attacks on Turkish targets over the last year.
-Reuters
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