Police in Turkey have detained six people following the killing of Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov. State media reports that the attacker’s mother, father, sister and two other relatives had been detained in the west of the country as well as his flat mate in Ankara.
Ambassador Karlov was shot dead Monday as he gave a speech at an art gallery. The attacker was an off-duty policeman who afterwards shouted “Allah Akbar” and not to forget Syria. A senior Turkish official said Tuesday the gunman was unlikely to have acted alone, describing the killing as "fully professional, not a one-man action".
The United States said its three missions in Turkey would stay closed Tuesday after a gun was fired in front of the U.S. embassy in Ankara Monday night. The Russian, Iranian and Turkish foreign ministers are meeting in Moscow Tuesday to discuss the crisis in Syria.
The Cipher Brief will provide continuing coverage of the situation as it develops. For a past look at the rocky relationship between Russia and Turkey, please read this article by Cipher Brief contributor Soner Cagaptay.
