Russian ambassador was gunned down by Turkish special forces officer Mevlut Mert Altintas

The murderer who gunned down Russia's ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov has been recognized as a 22-year-old undercover police officer. 

Mevlut Mert Altintas shot lifeless the ambassador at an occasion in Ankara earlier than he was killed by particular forces. 

Altintas was filmed as he blasted the ambassador from behind along with his semi-automatic handgun in the course of the launch of a photographic expedition. 

Turkish officers declare Altintas was off-duty on the time of the assassination. They confirmed they've since arrested his mom, sister and his roommate. 

The murderer who gunned down Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov has been named as a Turkish police officer named Mevlut Mert Altintas, pictured, who was killed afterwards 

Altintas, pictured left, stood behind Ambassador Karlov, centre, as he started his speech 

The gunman claimed the assassination was due to Russia's actions in Aleppo 

Hours after the assassination, Turkish police arrested Altintas's mom at her house 

Earlier than he was shot lifeless himself, Altintas shouted in Turkish: 'Remember Aleppo! Remember Syria!' 

He then warned journalists filming the occasion: 'Stand again! Stand again! Solely demise will take me out of right here. Anybody who has a task on this oppression will die one after the other.' 

Amid the chaotic scenes, eyewitnesses reported that Altintas shouted 'Allahu akbar', the Arabic phrase for 'God is nice'.

Turkey's inside minister says that the gunman who assassinated Russia's ambassador to Turkey was a policeman.

Suleyman Soylu mentioned that the gunman was working for the riot police squad in Ankara for the previous two-and-a-half years. 

He recognized the attacker as Mevlut Mert Altintas, born in 1994.

Altintas's father Esrafil, mom Hamidiye, and his sister, Seher Ozeroglu, who works in a garments store, have been arrested in his hometown of Soke in Aydin, a province on western Turkey's Aegean coast. 

It's claimed he was lively in his youth with President Erdogan's AKP social gathering and should have been linked with the Al Nusra Entrance, an affiliate of Al Qaeda.  

One witness mentioned Altintas was dressed well in a black swimsuit and tie and stood behind the ambassador as he made his speech. 

The witness added: 'He took out his gun and shot the ambassador from behind. We noticed him mendacity on the ground after which we ran out.'

Altintas was shot lifeless by Turkish safety forces who responded to the assassination

Particulars of the killer have been quickly shared on social media displaying him in his police uniform

Ankara's mayor Melih Gokcek mentioned the usage of Islamic slogans may have been an try by the killer to deflect blame from these answerable for ordering the assault.   

The Yeni Safak every day mentioned on its web site that the attacker labored with anti-riot police in Ankara.

Gokcek, identified for his outspoken feedback, speculated on his official Twitter account that the policeman could also be linked to the group of Fethullah Gulen blamed for the July 15 coup geared toward toppling Erdogan. 

It's understood Turkish authorities have already rounded-up Altintas's mom, sister and his roommate.  

One other Turkish web site claimed to indicate sections of Altintas's personnel file

Russian international ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova mentioned: 'We qualify the occasions as a terrorist assault, we keep involved with Turkish officers who've pledged by means of all-round investigation might be carried out. The assassinators might be punished. At this time this problem might be introduced up on the UN Safety Council. 

'Terrorism shall not move, we are going to take resolute efforts towards it.' 

Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday to share details about the capturing of Moscow's ambassador to Ankara, a Turkish official mentioned. 

Putin described right now's assassination as a 'provocation' geared toward destroying the enhancing relationship between Moscow and Ankara. 

He mentioned: 'The crime that was dedicated is doubtless a provocation geared toward disrupting the normalisation of Russian-Turkish relations and disrupting the peace course of in Syria that's being actively superior by Russia, Turkey and Iran. 

'There may be just one reply to this - stepping up the combat towards terrorism, and the bandits will really feel this.' 

The Russians have secured the settlement of Turkey's authorities to ship its personal staff of investigators to Ankara to probe the homicide.  

James Nixey, head of the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham Home assume tank in London, mentioned Moscow would use the assault to step up actions in what the Kremlin sees as a 'warfare on terror'.

He mentioned: 'My sense it that the Russians will not blame the Turks for this however will search to capitalise on it for wider features. Clearly the Russian army might be baying for blood, they will need revenge.'

Turkish safety officers have claimed there are 'very sturdy indicators' Altintas was a follower of the US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. 

Nonetheless, his media consultant Alp Aslandogan dismisssed any hyperlink and mentioned the exiled cleric condemned the homicide as a 'heinous act'.

The Turkish official, who declined to be recognized, mentioned the present investigation was centered on the gunman's hyperlinks to the community of Gulen's followers, which the federal government calls the 'Gulenist Terrorist Organisation' or 'FETO'.

The federal government says Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since 1999, created a 'parallel community' within the police, army, judiciary and civil service geared toward overthrowing the state. Gulen denies this.

President Tayyip Erdogan recognized the attacker, who was later killed by safety forces, as a member of the Ankara riot police who had spent 2-1/2 years on the drive.

'The folks he lived with earlier than college have been detained over FETO. It was decided that the folks with whom he graduated from college have been from a FETO staff,' the senior safety official mentioned of the attacker.

'Data was obtained to the impact that individuals who helped him get into college have been from FETO. There are very sturdy indicators that the one that carried out this assault was from FETO. The investigation is presently centered completely on this.'

The official additionally cited the truth that the attacker had taken July 15-17 as vacation. The federal government could argue the timing of his vacation demonstrated foreknowledge of the July 15 coup.

Gulen adviser Aslandogan, who advises Gulen on media points, mentioned the allegations by the Turkish official have been 'laughable' and meant to cowl up for lax safety.

'Mr. Gulen categorically condemns this heinous act.'  

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