Turkish officials identify assailant who shot Russian ambassador as off-duty riot policeman

Police outside the Ankara art gallery where the Russian ambassador to Turkey was killed Monday.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Officials have identified the assailant who shot and killed the Russian ambassador to Turkey on Monday as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old off-duty Turkish police officer.

He gunned down Andrei Karlov, 62, as the ambassador gave a speech in Ankara. The attack was filmed and shared widely on social media, and the shooter was heard shouting, "Don't forget Syria and Aleppo!" He was later shot and killed by security forces. Russia is an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and has intervened militarily in the country's civil war; Turkey has backed some groups of opposition forces.

In a televised statement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the murder a "provocation" meant to harm the country's ties with Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the only response to the assassination is "stepping up the fight against terrorism."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.