Assassination of the Russian ambassador and the suicide attack in Germany

Two horrific incidents will have a significant impact in the coming period. The first is the assassination of the Russian ambassador (Andrei Karlov) in Turkey a few hours ago. The second is the truck attack on a tourist gathering in a market in the German capital of Berlin just minutes ago, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 9 people immediately and more than 50 injured.

The first incident involved a young police officer in the Turkish civil service (rumored to be radicalized) named Melvut Mert Altintas, aged 22, who fired eight shots at the Russian ambassador. Three of them struck him while standing and five more after he fell. He died upon arrival at the hospital.

The young officer shouted supportive phrases for the people of Aleppo, such as "God is great... This is for Aleppo... Do not forget Aleppo... Do not forget Syria... If our country is not safe, you will not taste security either... Everyone involved in this injustice will pay the price." He also invoked the famous phrase of the early Muslims in Medina (the Ansar) during the Battle of the Trench, saying, "We are those who pledged allegiance to Muhammad for jihad until death. And I swear to God, I will not leave this room alive."

The Russian ambassador (Andrei Karlov) was opening an art exhibition titled "Russia as Seen by Turks" in the heart of Ankara. The mentioned officer entered with his official ID card and stood behind the ambassador on the opening platform as if he were his personal guard. Although security usually stays with the public, no one suspected him due to his official attire and young age.

After 15 minutes, special forces surrounded the building where the incident occurred, stormed it, and killed the officer who carried out the assassination after injuring three police officers.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the scheduled meeting tomorrow between the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey, and Iran in Turkey regarding the situation in Syria, as well as the visit of the Turkish defense minister to Russia, will proceed as planned, and there are no obstacles to canceling them.

The assassination and the truck attack will create significant pressure on Turkey at tomorrow's foreign ministers' meeting. Especially since many Turkish government officials have declared full support for the people of Syria, especially Aleppo. The hope was that tomorrow's meeting would result in rapid decisions to end the crisis in Aleppo with Russia and Iran, who are currently the most influential players in the Syrian crisis. Additionally, Germany may directly intervene in counter-terrorism efforts and stand against refugee influx to Europe from Syrians and most Arabs to alleviate public anger against terrorism.

Finally, after these assassination and truck incidents, and with the confirmation of Trump's victory today in the second and final vote of the Electoral College, which was the last hope to remove him from the presidency, we await, God willing, a world ruled by warmongers and bloodshed for the next four years. There is no consolation for those advocating moderation and wisdom. Next year will be a blessing for them and for us, God willing.