New footage of Russian ambassador’s killer seen as proof of ‘suicidal assassination’

Mesut Hasan Benli - Ankara

Security camera footage showing the murderer of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey while leaving his jihadist books to his friend is seen by prosecutors as fresh evidence about his motive for a suicidal assassination.

Ambassador Andrey Karlov was assassinated at an art gallery in the Turkish capital on Dec. 19, 2016 by Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş, an off-duty police officer linked to FETÖ who was shot dead by police during a standoff.

Turkish prosecutors have completed the investigation into the incident on Nov. 23 and sent an indictment to an Ankara court.

Twenty-eight suspects, including FETÖ leader Fetullah Gülen, were indicted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Altıntaş is seen in the security camera footage while leaving a package full of his Islamic books, including those on jihad, to a supermarket on Dec. 18, 2016.

His Whatsapp history shows that he wrote on the same day to local representatives of the İsmailağa sect so that the “books will be useful for someone else.”

Turkish prosecutors believe that this move shows Altıntaş’s intention to die during the assassination. They also think that it was aimed at confusing security forces after the attack.