Russia’s Ambassador to Turkey Shot Dead at Gallery in Ankara

He was delivering a speech at the show.

A demonstrator holds the national flag during a rally in support of secularism on Tandogan square in Ankara, Courtesy of MUSTAFA OZER/AFP/Getty Images.

Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, was shot in a targeted attack while delivering a speech at an art gallery in Ankara, according to reports confirmed by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“An unknown person opened fire during a public event in Ankara. As a result, the Russian ambassador to Turkey received a gunshot wound,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told RT.

The well-dressed gunman, who was wearing a suit and tie, reportedly entered the Çağdaş Sanatlar Merkezi gallery in the Turkish capital and fired three shots at the ambassador while he was addressing visitors at the opening of the a photo exhibition titled “Russia in the Eyes of Turks.” Several photographs were damaged in the shooting.

According to BBC News, the attacker reportedly shouted “Don’t forget about Aleppo, don’t forget about Syria” and “Allahu Akbar” (God is great”). The Ankara Times reports the young attacker is a 22-year-old member of the Ankara police special forces department.

Three other people in attendance were wounded, according to Agence France-Presse.

The Turkish news agency Anadolu reported that the gunman was shot and killed by Turkish special forces. According to RT, Karlov has died of his wounds. Russia is referring to the shooting as a “terrorist act.”

“We condemn this act of violence, whatever its source,” said US state department spokesman John Kirby. “Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.”


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