Turkey Detains Police Officer Over ‘Link’ to Russian Envoy’s Murder

Turkish authorities have detained a police officer, who was previously purged by the government, over alleged link to the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov in Ankara in December last year.

On Dec. 19, Mr. Karlov was gunned down by Turkish police officer Mevlut Mert Altintas during a visit to an art exhibition. The assassination shocked Ankara and Moscow, prompting a swift investigation to solve the murder.

The young police officer who shouted “Don’t Forget Aleppo” after he shot dead the Russian envoy was killed by counter-terrorism units in a shootout at the gallery in downtown Ankara.

Ramazan Yucel, a former police officer who was dismissed by the government as part of its sweeping purge in civil service and security bureaucracy, was detained by Ankara police on Thursday in the new phase of the expanding investigation.