What it ea s that the Russia A assador to Turkey was Assassi ated y a Radi alized Milita t Jihadi off‐duty Turkish Poli e Offi er By Ah et S Yayla, Ph.D. & A e Spe khard, Ph.D. The ‘ussia A assador to Turke , A dre Karlo , as shot a d killed i a art e hi it e e t De e er , i A kara, Turke . Me lüt Mert Altı taş, a off‐dut Turkish poli e offi er e tered the art galler usi g his poli e ID a d shot the A assador appro i atel te ti es fro ehi d as he addressed the ro d. As the A assador dropped to the floor his assassi shouted out the o too fa iliar jihadi a tra, Allah‐u Ak ar, God is Great! a d follo i g i Ara i We ha e ade a oath to the Prophet to die as artyrs i jihad, as I o ey o ! This is a re e ge for “yria a d Aleppo! He o ti ued i Turkish sa i g Do ot forget Aleppo, do ot forget “yria! Repeati g this t i e . As our ho es are ot safe, you ill ot taste se urity at your ho es! I ill o ly lea e here dead! Whoe er has a part i this tyra y, they ill pay for it o e y o e; they ill die! Clearl Altı taş ide tified hi self ith the S ria s d i g i their ho es a d elie ed he as a out to die as a jihadi “ art r for the . While his dire t ties ith a terrorist orga izatio has ot et ee esta lished, his speaki g of re e ge i ehalf of Aleppo ould likel tie hi ith Ja hat al‐Nusra offi iall affiliated ith Al‐Qaeda , although his ties are likel i spiratio al rather tha dire t as a operatio al ties ould likel ha e o e u der the radar of Turkish i tellige e. A ti‐‘ussia se ti e t i Turke has ee e tre el high duri g the last eeks as se eral hu dred i ilia s ere reported dead u der the ‘ussia o ard e ts of Aleppo, leadi g to de o stratio s agai st ‘ussia oth o the streets a d i fro t of the ‘ussia E ass . The largest of these ere orga ized the AKP outh through so ial edia ith a ers a d pa phlets distri uted a d ad ertise e ts o de i g ‘ussia pla ed i pu li — ith o go er e t oppositio to su h a ti ities. This happe ed i o ju tio ith a o four‐ ear lo g histor of Preside t Erdoga a d the AKP go er e t oth ope l a d o ertl supporti g jihadi terrorist orga izatio s fighti g the S ria regi e, i parti ular Ja hat al‐Nusra, ut also ISIS, ho ere allo ed to re ruit, o e ar s a d gai logisti al support i ludi g pro uri g edi al aid for their fighters i side Turke . The s ale of these groups operatio s as ofte er o ious to the populatio —o urri g i plai sight. For the ears a d , there as ot a si gle pla ed ou terterroris operatio agai st a of the radi al jihadist terrorist orga izatio s i Turke . No , it see s the ruli g AKP s soft approa h to ards groups like ISIS a d al‐Nusra to freel re ruit a d e a ti e i side Turke as attles raged i eigh ori g S ria, ha e aided parts of the Turkish populatio to reso ate ith their irule t ideologies. Se eral hu dred Turks ere re ruited to S ria al‐Nusra a d ISIS a d those ho retur ed ho e ere ot i estigated i a a er. Altı taş, ho has o k o jihadi re ord, orked for the A kara Poli e Depart e t riot poli e di isio a d had ee assig ed i a ar ed apa it to prote t Preside t Erdoga a d se eral other AKP rallies i A kara i the past. His superiors e ide tl had ot dete ted, or see fit to reig i , his jihadi lea i gs, or e e ore s ar — a ha e supported his ie s. This la k a e a result of the Jul , oup atte pt, i hi h o er , poli e offi ers a d ad i istrators ere fired fro their positio s i the ost riti al depart e ts: ou terterroris , i tellige e, SWAT, orga ized ri e a d riot poli e. Further ore, al ost , e perie ed poli e offi ers ere purged a d o er , ere i priso ed. No o e left a ha e ee e perie ed e ough to oti e, or a t, i Altı taş s ase, gi e these purges a d i priso e ts ha e greatl di i ished Turke 's ou terterroris a d se urit apa ities a d efforts to its lo est le el i histor . I deed, i the last four da s, t o sui ide o ers i Ista ul a d Ka seri alo e, killed o er three doze poli e offi ers. The orse i g se urit situatio i Turke ope the possi ilit of jihadi attles o urri g i S ria threate i g to spill o er i to Turke . Turke has pla ed a da gerous ga e these past ears, fueli g jihadi terrorist groups to oppose Kurdish fighters a d o it see s that this strateg is tur i g a k o itself. Ope a d free re ruit e t a d i do tri atio a ti ities of radi al jihadist terrorist orga izatio s i Turke alo gside the ar a d el o i g approa h of Turke s ruli g AKP o i ed ith the o fli ts i S ria ha e fa ilitated the spread of jihadi ideologies i side Turke faster tha e er. This situatio has reated a large olu e of ISIS a d al‐Nusra s pathizers a o g the ge eral populatio , as ell as a o g go er e t adres a d pro‐AKP outh. No o der a Turkish poli e offi er as also aught i the grip of su h ideologies a d appare tl a ted i s path ith su h groups. While he as likel a lo e olf a ti g o his o —he appears fueled the prior eeks hatred agai st ‘ussia a d the ar el o e of radi al jihadist groups a ti e i side Turke —so u h so, that he took it i to his o ha ds to shoot a d kill the ‘ussia A assador as a a t of re e ge for ‘ussia o i gs i Aleppo. No it re ai s to e see hat respo se ill o e fro ‘ussia.