Russian Ambassador to Turkey killed in gunman attack in Ankara

The Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was killed in a gunman attack at an art exhibition on Monday in the Turkish capital of Ankara, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The ministry has declared the attack a terrorist act, and Russia's Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case over the murder of the diplomat.

Ankara has assured Moscow to bring those responsible for the attack to justice, and the issue would be raised with the United Nations Security Council later in the day, the ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters in Moscow.

According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed of attack, and is planning a consultation with the foreign ministry and the country's security services.

The incident came one day before a tri-party meeting among the top diplomats of Russia, Turkey and Iran over the Syrian crisis scheduled for Tuesday in Moscow.

The Interfax news agency quoted the Turkish Embassy to Russia as saying that Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu would come to Moscow as planned despite the incident.

Born in 1954, Karlov has served as the Russian Ambassador to Turkey since 2013.