Dramatic footage shows Turkish cop psyching himself up before shooting Russian ambassador in the back at Ankara art gallery
THIS is the moment the Turkish policeman who murdered the Russian ambassador to Ankara psyched himself up minutes before the fatal shooting.
Gunman Mevlüt Mert Altintas shot dead 62-year-old Andrei Karlov at an art gallery while yelling: “We die in Aleppo, you die here.”
Altintas, 22, fired at least eight times as Mr Karlov gave a speech in the Turkish capital Ankara.
Speaking in Turkish and Arabic, the riot cop quoted an Islamic teaching referring to jihad: "We are the ones who pledged loyalty to [the Prophet] Muhammad to fight jihad as long as we live."
He also shouted “God is great” and “Don’t forget Aleppo, don’t forget Syria.”
Footage before the fatal shooting shows Mr Karlov giving his speech at the Contemporary Arts Gallery in Ankara’s central Cankaya district when gunfire erupts.
Turkish officer Altintas can be seen standing directly behind the ambassador while adjusting his suit.
He then puts his hands in his inner jacket before pulling them empty-handed.
Feeling restless, Altintas pacing nervously behind his victim with his hands together before he drew the handgun and shot Mr Karlov.
The camera then switches to the accused attacker, Altintas, who can be seen firing into the air and then yelling: "Only death will remove me from here. Everyone who has taken part in this oppression will one by one pay for it one by one."
Russian officials say the gunman was killed after a 15-minute shootout with police.
Altinas was originally from the town of Soke in western Turkey, near the Aegean Sea coastline.
He had been an active serving police officer since 2014 after graduating from Izmir Police School.
It has not been verified but it was reported he managed to gain entry to the art gallery using his police ID.
He is said to have told security “I am protecting the Russian ambassador”.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson condemned the "despicable murder" as a "cowardly attack".
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the killing of Mr Karlov was a "provocation aimed at derailing Russia-Turkey ties and the peace process in Syria".
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "This is a provocation to damage the normalisation process of Turkish-Russian relations."
He added: "Both the Russian and Turkish administrations have the determination not to fall for this provocation."
Related Stories
The shooting also came just hours before an apparent terror attack on a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany.
At least 12 people were killed and some 50 injured when a lorry ploughed into a crowded market at Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz – in a chilling echo of the deadly terror attack in Nice earlier this year.
The assassination of Mr Karlov has been "blamed" on UK by an ultra-nationalist leader who claims "the West is trying to embroil us".
Tensions have escalated in recent weeks as Russian-backed Syrian forces have fought for control of the eastern part of Aleppo, triggering a stream of refugees.
Turkey has been hit by multiple bomb attacks that have been claimed by Kurdish militants, and beat back an attempted coup in July, where rogue soldiers commandeered tanks, warplanes and helicopters in attempt to overthrow the parliament.
Since then, the government has launched a sweeping crackdown on the judiciary, police and civil service in attempt to root out the coup plotters.
Vladimir Zhirinovsky appeared to blame Britain as he claimed the assassination was intended to stop an upcoming visit by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Moscow in order to seal closer ties with Putin.
He said: “The West is trying to embroil us. All conflicts were inspired by Britain.
“This is done deliberately to frustrate Erdogan’s visit. For sure sure, now, the visit will be postponed.”
Mr Karlov’s assassination came on the day the UN Security Council unanimously called for all parties to observe the evacuation of the last rebel-held enclave in the city.
It was also just over a year since Turkey shot down a Russian warplane on its border with Syria.
Turkey has itself been rocked by recent terror attacks.
On Saturday a car bomb near a bus in Kayserion killed 13 soldiers and wounding 55.
A week ago 44 people including 37 police officers were killed in bombings in Istanbul.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368