Russian Diplomat Assassinated by Muslim Jihadist in Turkey

By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

In Turkey's city of Ankara a Russian Ambassador to Turkey has been assassinated.  The assassination occurred at an Ankara art exhibit by a Muslim jihadist shouting “Allah is great!” and “don’t forget Aleppo, don’t forget Syria!”

In addition to murdering the Russian diplomat by shooting him from behind, the gunman wounded three others.  The assailant wore a dark suit and tie and was killed in a shootout.

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said that the shooter had been “despicably killed” in a provocation meant to disrupt ties with Turkey.  Putin added, “There can be only one answer to this: stepping up the fight against terrorism, and the bandits will feel this.”

The assassination of Andrey G. Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey, came after protests in Turkey against Russia's support for Syria's government in the Syrian "civil war" being fought just south of Turkey's southern border.

The shooter's identity has not been made public.

The ambassador’s wife fainted and was hospitalized after learning of her husband’s death. They also said Russian tourists in Turkey had been advised against leaving their hotel rooms or visiting public places as a precaution.

While Turkey and Russia had a weak relationship in past years, under Erdogan the Turkish government has been working to restore relations.  The Turkish public is not so approving of warming to Russia, and are generally angry over Russia’s role in the bombing of Aleppo.

Shortly after the assassination, a group of protesters gathered outside the Russian consulate in Istanbul with two men lying on the street, shrouded in bloody sheets and the Syrian flag, and surrounded by candles, to represent the killings in Aleppo.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary