Turkey, Russia probing envoy murder at Ankara gallery

Investigators from Turkey and Russia are hunting for clues in the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Turkey in front of stunned onlookers at a photo exhibition in Ankara. 

A team of 18 Russian investigators and foreign ministry officials reached Turkey yesterday and began inspecting the art gallery where the shooting of Andrei Karlov took place. 

Sources said, central to the joint Turkish-Russian investigation is whether Mevlut Mert Altintas, a member of Ankara's riot police squad, planned the attack alone. One senior Turkish government official said, the killing had all the marks of being fully professional, not a one-man



action.

Meanwhile, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official said, the country's foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu has provided US Secretary of State John Kerry information on the assailant during a telephone conversation. 

The official said, Mr Cavusoglu also told Mr Kerry that both Turkey and Russia know that a movement led by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the attack. 

Turkey has accused Gulen of orchestrating a failed military coup in July aimed at toppling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It is pressing the United States to extradite Gulen to Turkey to stand trial for his alleged role in the coup attempt. Gulen has denied the accusations.