Russia’s ambassador to Turkey was shot dead during a public appearance in the capital Ankara last night, a year after the two countries came close to hostilities over the conflict in Syria.
The Russian foreign ministry said Andrei Karlov had been shot after the assailant, reported by Reuters news agency to be an off-duty policeman, “opened fire chaotically” during a speech by the ambassador at an exhibition of pictures of Russia taken by Turkish photographers.
“We qualify what has happened as a terrorist act,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters. “We are in contact with Turkish officials who have assured us that a careful