FETO murders Russian envoy Andrey Karlov to set Moscow against Ankara - indictment

An indictment on the assassination of Russia's ambassador to Ankara on Friday revealed an earlier attempt of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) -- group behind 2016's defeated coup attempt -- to murder the envoy.

Andrey Karlov was assassinated at an art gallery in the Turkish capital on Dec. 19, 2016 by Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş, an off-duty police officer linked to FETO who was shot dead by police during a standoff.

Turkish prosecutors have completed the investigation into the incident on Friday and sent an indictment to an Ankara court.

Twenty-eight suspects, including FETO leader Fetullah Gulen, were indicted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

The indictment emphasized that the murder was committed by FETO to confront Moscow and Ankara, ahead of the defeated deadly coup attempt in July 15, 2016, and to create a chaotic environment in Turkey.

It noted that the terror group planned another assassination about six months before the murder.

According to the indictment, Russian envoy Karlov was among the invitees of a June 27, 2016 iftar (fast-breaking dinner) program for ambassadors.

Altıntaş was going to sneak into the premises -- where the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party had scheduled the dinner -- disguised as a security police officer upon the assassination instructions from FETO.

The indictment said in order to avoid suspicion, Altıntaş was going to use a collar badge worn by the staff of the Prime Ministry, but the assassination attempt failed as Karlov was abroad on that day.
INVESTIGATORS FIND RUSSIA ENVOY ASSASSIN'S LINK TO FETO
The assassinator of Russia's ambassador to Turkey was found to have links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), according to an indictment revealed Friday.

Concluding a two-year investigation, Turkish prosecutors indicted 28 suspects, including the terror group's ringleader Fetullah Gulen, and other senior FETO members.

Several suspects familiar with off-duty police officer Mevlut Mert Altıntaş -- who assassinated Andrey Karlov at an Ankara art gallery on Dec. 19, 2016 -- confirmed to investigators that he had attended gatherings where publications and sermons of Gulen were read and viewed.

According to judicial sources speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, one of Altıntaş's police academy classmates Kaan Bülbül said the gunman had a "withdrawn" personality with no tendency to speak much with others.

"When I spoke to them [Altıntaş and his friend], they told me that they had links to this structure [FETO]," Cem Yıldız, a witness, told investigators.

Yıldız said that the pair later claimed that they had cut ties with the group, according to the sources.

The sources also said that the other suspects cited Altıntaş's "excited" character.

Recalling a phone conversation with Altıntaş, witness Ibrahim Bilal Oduncu is said to have alleged the gunman was planning to travel to Syria to "help suffering Muslims" in the war-torn country because he was suffering from depression.

The indictment has been submitted to an Ankara court.

Suspects are accused of violation of constitutional order, being member of an armed terror group, and deliberate killing with objective of spreading terror.

In addition, the indictment says the assassination is an act of provocation targeting Turkey-Russia relations.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 that martyred 251 people and injured nearly 2,200 others.

Ankara accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.