The gunman who shot the Russian ambassador to Turkey in an attack at an art gallery on Monday was an off-duty police officer who worked in the Turkish capital, two security sources told Reuters.
Russia's foreign ministry earlier confirmed that the ambassador, Andrey Karlov, had died in the attack. Turkish state media earlier reported that the gunman had been "neutralised" following the attack.
According to AP on its official website;
The gunman who killed the Russian ambassador to Turkey at a photo exhibition in Ankara shouted in Turkish "Don't forget Aleppo! Don't forget Syria!"
The man then yelled: "Stand back! Stand back! Only death will take me out of here. Anyone who has a role in this oppression will die one by one."
Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was several minutes into a speech at the embassy-sponsored exhibition when he was shot. The gunman also shouted "Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great." Police later killed the gunman, according to reports.
The attack comes a day before a meeting of Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign and defense ministers in Moscow to discuss Syria.
Russia and Iran have backed Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Turkey has supported Assad's foes.
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