A Turkish court has issued arrest warrants for a US-based Muslim cleric and seven other people for their alleged involvement in the killing of Russia's ambassador to Turkey, the country's state-run news agency said today.
An off-duty police officer fatally shot Ambassador Andrei Karlov at a photo exhibition in Ankara on December 19, 2016. The officer, Mevlut Mert Altintas, was later shot dead by police.
Turkey's Anadolu Agency reported that cleric Fethullah Gulen and other seven face charges of attempting to "destroy the constitutional order" and "meditated murder." Turkish authorities have alleged that Karlov's killer had links to Gulen, who is also wanted in Turkey for allegedly masterminding a failed coup in July 2016. Gulen denies the accusation.
Turkey says Karlov's assassination was aimed at derailing warming relations between Turkey and Russia.