Russian team probing envoy's murder meets Ankara police

By Cankut Tasdan and Orhan Onur Gemici

ANKARA (AA) - An investigative team from Russia met anti-terrorism police officials in Ankara on Wednesday as part of a joint probe into the assassination of Ambassador Andrey Karlov, according to a police source.

The Russian team comprises of 18 officials, including a prosecutor and two defense attaches, who arrived in Ankara on Tuesday afternoon after the two countries agreed to establish a joint commission to investigate the murder, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.

A total of 120 people in the Ankara Police Department, including anti-terrorist unit personnel and interpreters, have been assigned to work and cooperate with the Russian team.

The joint team is expected to work for at least a week in the Turkish capital.

Russia’s ambassador to Ankara was shot dead by an assailant on Monday evening as he addressed the opening ceremony of an art exhibition in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Karlov was seriously wounded and immediately taken to Guven Hospital in the capital’s Cankaya district, where he was later pronounced dead.

Police had shot dead the murderer -- a 22-year-old Turkish riot police officer named Mevlut Mert Altintas -- in an operation that lasted around 15 minutes.

A total of 12 suspects have been arrested so far in connection with the murder.

According to a diplomatic source, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry late Tuesday that Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) was behind Karlov's assassination.