Following the assassination of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov and the gunman’s alleged link to the current conflict in Aleppo, several militants groups have been named as possible orchestrators of the heinous act. But, according to a Russian high official, the assassination may have been plotted by enemies of the country, particularly by a branch of the international alliance NATO.
On Monday night, as Karlov was delivering a speech at an art museum in Ankara, he was gunned down by Melvut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old off-duty police officer in Turkey. After shooting the ambassador, the suspect shouted “Don’t forget Aleppo. Don’t forget Syria,” The Guardian reported.
As noted by Deputy Chairman Frantz Klintsevich of the Russian Parliament’s Defense and Security Committee, the assassination might have been plotted to disrupt the ties between Russia and Turkey, which has been improving following a tension-filled year.
According to Klintsevich, although a number of terrorist organizations would benefit from this act, the murder of Karlov may have also been committed by secret operatives of NATO, an organization that has been enforcing international sanctions on Russia for a couple of years now.
“It was a planned action,” Klintsevich said according to Independent. Everyone knew that he was going to attend this photo exhibition. It can be ISIS, or the Kurdish army which tries to hurt [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan.”
“Buy maybe – and it is highly likely – that representatives of foreign NATO secret services are behind it,” he added. “What has happened is a true provocation, a challenge. It is a challenge for Russia.”
As of the moment, not one organization has claimed responsibility for the fatal shooting of Karlov and there’s no evidence pointing to the involvement of NATO. But, Klintsevich has been known as a staunch critic of the alliance.
Previously, he threatened NATO’s member states that they would receive a harsh and violent response from Russia if they continue to support the alliance’s expansion.
