19 Dec 2016: Russian Ambassador to Turkey killed in Ankara

[JulesP]

If Turkey-Russian relations were not already bad, things may have gotten worse...

From CTV News: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/gunman-kills-russian-ambassador-to-turkey-1.3209355?autoPlay=true

ANKARA, Turkey -- A gunman in a suit and tie shouted slogans about Syria's civil war after he killed Russia's ambassador to Turkey in front of stunned onlookers at a photo exhibition in the Turkish capital on Monday, according to an Associated Press photographer who witnessed the shooting. Police later killed the assailant, Turkish station NTV reported.
Ambassador Andrei Karlov, 62, was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition in Ankara when a man fired at least eight shots, according to the AP photographer in the audience.

"Don't forget Aleppo, don't forget Syria!" the gunman shouted in Turkish, referring to the Syrian city where Russian bombardments have helped drive rebels from areas they had occupied for years during the war.
He also shouted "Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great" and continued in Arabic: "We are the descendants of those who supported the Prophet Muhammad, for jihad."

The gunman approached Karlov as he lay on the ground and shot him at least one more time at close range, according to the AP photographer. The attacker also smashed several of the framed photos hung for the exhibition. There was panic as people ran for cover. Three other people were wounded in the attack, NTV said.

Other news sources cite a quote from the mayor of Ankara indicating the gunman was a 22 year old police officer. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/19/turkish-police-officer-shot-dead-russian-ambassador-andrey-karlov/

- mod edit to add date to thread subject line -

 

[AbdullahD]

I think this may draw Turkey and Russia closer together. Daesh or another extremist group is likely behind it and they will maybe use it as an excuse to up or start the campaign in Syria

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Russia is going to want a very good explanation how and why this guy was allowed to get that close and why he was not properly vetted. If they find Ankara dropped the ball, they will extract a pound of flesh. If the Turks can show that there was no inkling that he was going to do it, then it will be a point where they can work together. Russian tourism to the region is going to dry up again. Part of the Turkish problem is that they have courted the Islamist's, but as always they bite the hands that feed them.

 

[PPCLI Guy]

I think this may draw Turkey and Russia closer together. Daesh or another extremist group is likely behind it and they will maybe use it as an excuse to up or start the campaign in Syria

Ummm....Turkey and Russia both have troops fighting in Syria already - just not against each other.....yet.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Well, that didn't take long (source) ...

 

[The Bread Guy]

Ummm....Turkey and Russia both have troops fighting in Syria already - just not against each other.....yet.

Aaaaaaaaaaaand speaking of Syria, this from Russian-state media:

In a televised statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara a clear provocation aimed at derailing the Syrian peace negotiations.

"This crime is obviously a provocation aimed at hampering the normalization of Russia-Turkey relations, as well as at derailing the peace process in Syria, which is actively mediated by Russia, Turkey and Iran," Putin said at a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and heads of Russian security bodies in the Kremlin. "The only response to this [crime] could be the strengthening of the fight against terrorism," Putin stressed.

Russia has announced that they will send a team of investigators to Turkey after a horrific murder of Ambassador Andrey Karlov in Ankara. This occurred after President Putin spoke on the phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Both presidents agreed that the murder of the ambassador was a provocation, aimed at derailing bilateral relations between the countries as well as an attempt to stop peace negotiations on a resolution of the Syrian conflict.

On Tuesday the foreign and defense ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran were supposed to discuss a plan of action to end the Syrian civil war which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions of refugees. The Russian military reported that the three nations are to meet in Moscow to implement UN Security Council protocols to put a stop to the violence that has torn the country apart. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the talks will go on as planned in spite of the assassination ...

The usual reminder about breaking news caveats attached.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Some Turkish reaction in Turkish media here and here - highlights mine ....

The shooting dead of Moscow’s ambassador in Ankara is a provocation designed to destroy Turkish-Russian normalization, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Anadolu Agency late on Monday.

Erdogan "strongly" and "vehemently" condemned the assassination of Andrey Karlov on Monday evening.

"Both Turkey and Russia have the will not to be deceived by this provocation," Erdogan said.

"I believe this is an attack on Turkey, the Turkish state and the Turkish people, and also a clear provocation to Turkish-Russian relations. I am sure our Russian friends also see this fact," he added.

The Turkish leader said he had been closely following the incident from the very beginning, and offered his "deepest condolences to the friendly nation of Russia".

Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on stronger cooperation to fight terrorism internationally, Erdogan also revealed.

Karlov died after being shot at an art exhibition in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

He had been delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of an art gallery when an assailant opened fire on the diplomat before shooting into the air, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent who witnessed the incident.

The envoy was seriously wounded and immediately taken to Guven Hospital in the capital’s Cankaya district but later died.

Police special forces neutralized the assailant in an operation that lasted around 15 minutes.

Erdogan confirmed that the assailant was a 22-year-old Turkish riot police officer called Mevlut Mert Altintas.

He said a Turkey-Russia joint commission would be established to investigate the murder ...

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday the attack that killed Russia’s envoy to Ankara, Andrey Karlov, would not harm Turkish and Russian relations.

"It is known how important the relations with Russia are for the region and not only for two countries," Cavusoglu said.

"Especially the recent evacuation of innocent civilians from Aleppo and efforts for a permanent cease-fire and a political solution was recognized by whole world,” he told reporters shortly after his plane landed in Moscow for trilateral meetings with Russia and Iran regarding Syria.

Cavusoglu said Turkey appreciated Russia's recent position on the situation in Syria and thanked Karlov for his efforts to strengthen relations even in the hardest times since he became ambassador to Turkey in 2013.

While condemning the attack Cavusoglu said it not only targeted Karlov, but also Russia, Turkey and bilateral relations between the two countries, which recently began to normalize.

Cavusoglu said both nations and their people knew the aim behind the attack but it would not harm relations.

He said a joint investigation team would reveal the motive and punish responsible parties within the framework of the law and the attack would strengthen cooperation between Turkey and Russia to counter terrorism.

After the news briefing, Cavusoglu called his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and conveyed similar sentiments ...

 

[Kat Stevens]

I think this may draw Turkey and Russia closer together. Daesh or another extremist group is likely behind it and they will maybe use it as an excuse to up or start the campaign in Syria

Turkey and Russia will both blame the Kurds and use it as an excuse to wipe them out.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Turkey and Russia will both blame the Kurds and use it as an excuse to wipe them out.

Oooooh, that would be handy ...

 

[Good2Golf]

RIP Ambassador Karlov.

Interesting the Turkish proffered Gulen nexus; some Turkish sources noted the involvement of Altintas with FETO (Gulen-supported group in Turkey) and yet Turkish security officials allowed what would otherwise be a compromised special police force officer, and off-duty at that, to be what appears to me to be [a key] part of the Ambassador's close protection detail. 

That is the most inconsistent demonstration of "off-duty" I've ever seen...  :Tin-Foil-Hat:

 

[The Bread Guy]

A few of the latest headlines ...

• "Turkish police detain six after Russian ambassador shot dead" (Reuters)
• "US, Iran shut down missions in Turkey after firearm incident, Russian envoy killing" (Reuters, via telegraphindia.com)
• "Russian ambassador killing: Investigators sent to Turkey by Moscow" (BBC)
• "Russia Sends 18 Investigators, Officials to Probe Ambassador's Murder in Turkey" (RIA Novosti)
• "Putin, Erdogan Vow to Step Up Terror Fight on Envoy’s Death" (Bloomberg)
• "Russian, Turkish Foreign Ministers To Meet Following Russian Ambassador's Killing " (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
• "US ambassador to Moscow offers condolences over Russian diplomat’s murder" (TASS)
• "Isis supporters threaten '2017 will be a year of massacre' in wake of Berlin and Ankara attacks" (Int'l Business Times)

And Canada's statement, via the Global Affairs info-machine:

“Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms the assassination of Russia’s Ambassador Andrey Karlov.

“On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my most sincere condolences to Ambassador Karlov’s family and friends and to the people of Russia.”

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I suspect there are going to be a few openings and promotions in Turkish security as head roll and sacrificial goats are required.

 

[AbdullahD]

#MurderIsNotSpeltMartyr

An officer in Turkey shot dead the Russain Ambassador...in an attempt to somehow retaliate for the Tragedy of Aleppo...yelling 'Allahu Akbar' during this horrific act!

Let us be very clear that such actions have no place whatsoever in Islam and neither do people have the right to bring God's name into such crimes.

Im not sure what the gunman thought he was achieving except a potential trigger for a full scale world war resulting in catastrophic consequences for humanity as a whole.

Allah teaches us in the Quran:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ ۚ

O you who have faith be steadfast in upholding justice even if it is against yourselves or our families or relatives/tribesmen.
                                                      [Nisa, 135]

We all understand that this person was perhaps sincere in his feelings and felt that as a Muslim, this was his contribution for his helplessness towards the situation of Aleppo but...

Whats wrong is wrong...and we as Muslims must be just as Allah has commanded us to be.

An entire portion of the Quran's message is all about being responsible for your actions. The Prophet even added;

إن أعظم المسلمين في المسلمين جرما من سأل عن شيء لم يحرم على المسلمين فحرم عليهم من أجل مسألته

Describing those muslims as the greatest criminals whose statements (or actions) lead to other Muslims becoming deprived of something they would've otherwise had and been entitled to.
                                      [Bukhari/Muslim]

The actions of this gunman are monstrously naive and horrifically shocking because they equate to a declaration of war, and besides being completely unhelpful to the people of Aleppo it also jeopardises the safety of millions who were otherwise safe.

I've already witnessed some people online glorifying this persons actions, please do not do so, since collective guilt, murder and endangering a whole civilisation have no place in Islam.

No sooner did we hear of this tragedy than we are deafened with the cries of an atrocity in Berlin, where a truck is driven into a crowd...most likely once again...in the so called name of God.

We truly are in dark times and the Faith has certainly been hijacked.. May Allah enlighten our hearts with Humanity, Compassion and Justice..and may we reclaim this Faith of ours through our voice of Reason, ameen.

#DeenOfMercyNotMercenaries
#AJustUmmahNotJustAUmmah

#ReclaimIslam

Just dropping this to show the Muslim community is disgusted with this too.

Very saddening actions these last few days, may god however we call him help all the families.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Abdullah:

I accept that Mufti Abu Layth shows that a large portion of the Muslim community is disgusted and even saddened by the murder of the Russian ambassador and rejects both the act and any similar actions by others. I think he is a little over the top, however, when he calls this an act of war and that it could lead to World War III.

 

[AbdullahD]

Abdullah:

I accept that Mufti Abu Layth shows that a large portion of the Muslim community is disgusted and even saddened by the murder of the Russian ambassador and rejects both the act and any similar actions by others. I think he is a little over the top, however, when he calls this an act of war and that it could lead to World War III.

I agree, I think it is more of an non issue then he suggests. Posted for the denouncing.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Well, THAT didn't take long ...

 

[The Bread Guy]

And the link is made ...

Turkey’s President Tayyip Recep Erdogan said on Wednesday the investigators had uncovered a link between the killer of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov and FETO, an organization associated with the exiled Islamist preacher Fethullah Gulen.

"This man (Mevlut Mert Altintas) was a member of FETO and there’s no need to cover up this fact," Erdogan said. "The place where he grew up and his latest status are all but indicative of this."

"It should be said openly that members of that filthy organization can still be found in the ranks of our police and in the Armed Forces," he said ...

More on FETO (the group representing what Turkey says is the terrorist arm of the Gulenist movement) via a Turkish think tank here.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Fucking Extremist Terrorist Organization...?