Russian ambassador’s assassin turns out to have been a rapid response policeman

Russia’s ambassador to Ankara, Andrei Karlov, lost his life after being shot while chatting at a photograph exhibition he was attending at the Contemporary Arts Centre in Ankara by a person shouting ‘Allahu ekber’ and slogans in Turkish. The assailant has been identified. It has been determined that the assailant who killed the Russian ambassador was rapid response force police officer Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, National Defence Minister Fikri Işık and Health Minister Recep Akdağ made statements in the aftermath of the attack staged on the Russian ambassador.

In his statement, Soylu said, ‘The assailant was Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş, born in Aydın Söke on 24 June 1994, whose civil registry record was at Manisa Şehzadeler, who graduated from Söke Cumhuriyet Anatolian High School and the senior police academy in Izmir, and served at Ankara Rapid Response Force Directorate where he had served for two and a half years.’

Mert Altıntaş’s family arrested

Following the assassination, an operation was launched in Aydın’s Söke sub-province, from where police officer Altıntaş hailed. The republic prosecutor  came to the address of the Altıntaş family’s home and began to search the house. Five people, including Altıntaş’ father, mother and sister, were arrested and taken to the police station for questioning.

Civil registry record brought to Ankara

Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş, who served at Ankara Rapid Response Force Directorate, graduated in 2014 from Izmir Rüştü Ünsal Police Senior Vocational High School. It has been learnt that the Altıntaş family had moved to Söke’s Çeltikçi Quarter two months ago.

It has emerged that Altıntaş, who took two days’ official leave at the time of the 15 July coup attempt, had his civil registry record brought from Aydın to Ankara one and a half months ago.

His flatmate in Ankara also arrested

The assailant’s flat mate, a police officer serving at Ankara Rapid Response Force Directorate, has also been arrested in connection with the killing of Russia’s ambassador to Ankara, Andrei Karlov, following an armed attack.

According to information obtained, a search has been conducted at the home in Yenimahalle of Altıntaş, who served at Ankara Rapid Response Force Directorate, as part of the investigation launched into the killing of Russian ambassador Karlov following an armed attack.

Police officer S.B., the flat mate of the assailant Altıntaş, who was killed in the operation following the attack, has been arrested at the Rapid Response Force Directorate.