Karlov assassin received order from FETO 'covert imam'

By Cemil Murat Budak and Serdar Acil

ANKARA

The assassinator of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey received orders on the assassination from a Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) "covert imam" 10 days before the assassination, according to the Ankara Public Prosecutor's indictment.

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

According to the indictment on Karlov's assassination, former Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) employee Sahin Sogut was "covert imam" of the assasin Mevlut Mert Altintas in FETO terror group's hierarchy.

The indictment included that Altintas and Sogut communicated via their social media and e-mail accounts.

Before 10 days of the assasination, Sogut and Altintas communicated and Altintas got instructions which he had to do regarding the assasination, the indictment said.

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

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

Ankara also 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.