Russia's ambassador to Turkey was fatally shot this morning at an art gallery in the capital of Turkey. While speaking at the Contemporary Arts Center in Ankara, the ambassador, Andrey Karlov, was shot from behind, as the video above shows. The shooter was killed shortly after in a shootout with Turkish Special Forces police.
According to the Daily Beast, the gunman, wearing a standard black suit, got into the event by claiming to be Karlov's bodyguard. Reports claim that the killer is Mevlut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old riot policeman.
"The assassination occurred on the eve of a scheduled meeting of Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers to discuss next steps in the Syria crisis after the Assad regime, with the help of Russian airstrikes and Iranian-commanded Shiite militias, captured rebel-held East Aleppo and expelled tens of thousands of civilians."
After shooting the ambassador, the killer reportedly shouted "Allahu Akhbar" multiple times and brought attention to the devastating situation in Aleppo. "Don’t forget about Aleppo, don’t forget about Syria," he reportedly said in Turkish. "No one can be safe as long as our brothers there are not. Get out of my way." In Arabic, he quoted a follower of Muhammad, as members of ISIS have quoted. "We are the ones who pledged Bai'a (fealty) to Mohammed on the terms of Jihad as long as we live," he said.
While waving his gun, the man also shouted in Turkish, "Only death will remove me from here. Everyone who has taken part in this oppression will one by one pay for it."
Turkish Special Forces killed the shooter during a shootout shortly after the ambassador was shot.
Karlov was finishing his speech shortly after 7 p.m. local time at the opening of the exhibition, which was titled "Russia through Turks' eyes." According to the Los Angeles Times, the gunman fired at least eight shots.
According to the New York Times, at least three other people were wounded during the incident, which Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova described as a terrorist attack.
Protests have been going on in Turkey over Russia's actions in the Syrian war. Russia and Turkey have been working together to evacuate the war-torn city of Aleppo, but support different sides in the conflict, according to the New York Times.
