ISTANBUL // The young Turkish policeman who killed Russia’s ambassador to Ankara this week had provided security for president Recep Tayyip Erdogan eight times since the July 15 failed coup.
He had been on bodyguard duty at eight events attended by the Turkish president, according to a report in the daily Hurriyet newspaper.
Mevlut Mert Altintas, 22, was a member of the Ankara anti-riot police squad for two-and-a-half years. On the occasions he was guarding the president, he was part of the second wave of Mr Erodgan’s security detail, after the president’s personal bodyguard team.
Altintas used his police ID card to get into the exhibition centre in Ankara on Monday evening where he shot Russian ambassador Andrei Karlov nine times before he himself was shot dead by the police.
The revelations in Hurriyet about how Altintas regularly worked in close proximity to president Erdogan call into question Turkey’s vetting procedures. The paper’s well-connected journalist Abdulkadir Selvi said Altintas had called in sick
In a telephone call Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told his American counterpart John Kerry that Turkey believed the cleric Fethullah Gulen, was behind the assassination plot and are investigating possible links between
Atintas and Gulenism, after it emerged that the young police officer had attended a school run by the cleric’s movement.
The Turkish government is also convinced Mr Gulen orchestrated the attempted coup in July. Hurriyet’s well-connected journalist Abdulkadir Selvi said Altintas had called in sick on July 15, the day of the acoup but hs movements and activities that night were unclear.
The security forces have now detained 13 people over the attack including close relatives of Altintas.
While Turkey has been quick to blame Fethullah Gulen for the death of the Russian ambassador, the 18 Russian investigators who arrived in Ankara on Tuesday said it was too early to say who had plotted the assassination. When asked to respond to the comments made by the Turkish foreign minister, Kemlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was too early to draw any conclusions.
“We need to wait for the results of the joint investigative group,” he said. “It is really not worth rushing to any conclusions.”
However, Mr Peskov said the murder of ambassador Karlov had been damaging for the Ankara government. “This is certainly a blow to the country’s prestige,” Mr Peskov said.
Russian and Turkish investigators will work together on probing the attack on Mr Karlov, the first Moscow envoy to be killed in his post in almost 90 years. Officials made clear that his death will not provoke another crisis in relations between the two countries that have only recently been restored after all but collapsing when Turkish jets shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border in November last year.
“We’re sincerely grateful to our Turkish colleagues for their immediate reaction to this barbaric crime and for their condolences,” said Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov after bilateral talks with his Turkish counterpart. “There can be no concessions to terrorists.”
* Associated Press
Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
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Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.
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