Joint Investigation Underway in Shooting of Russian Envoy in Ankara

Russian President Vladimir Putin has dispatched an 18-man team of investigators to work on a joint team with their Turkish counterparts in the case of the assassination of Russian Ambassador Andre Karlov on Monday. Karlov was addressing attendees at an art exhibition when an off-duty Turkish policeman screamed pro-Syrian slogans, Allahu Akbar (God is Great) and shot him dead. The shooter, 22-year old Mevlut Mert Altintas, was able to pump nine rounds into the Russian envoy before being killed by Turkish policeman at the event. According to the Turkish daily Hurriyet, Altintas had been part of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s second layer of protection at as many as eight events he attended since surviving an attempted coup d’état last July. As they did following the coup, Erdogan and his allies blamed the killing of exiled Turkish leader Fethullah Gulen, who lives in the United States and denies the accusations. The Turks are angry with the United States for failing to turn over Gulen per its extradition request, but the Americans argue that it cannot do so unless Turkey satisfies standards for extradition and guarantees the person extradited is treated according to US standards.