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Turkish photographer wins World Press Photo competition for assassin’s photo

This picture taken on December 19, 2016 shows Andrey Karlov (L), the Russian ambassador to Ankara, lying on the floor after being shot by a gunman (R) during an attack during a public event in Ankara. A gunman crying "Aleppo" and "revenge" shot Karlov while he was visiting an art exhibition in Ankara on December 19, witnesses and media reports said. The Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency said the gunman had been "neutralised" in a police operation, without giving further details. / AFP PHOTO / STRINGER

Associated Press photographer Burhan Özbilici has won the 2017 World Press Photo competition for his image of the assassin of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov.

In the photo, 22-year-old police officer Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş is seen shouting after shooting Karlov at an art gallery in Ankara on Dec.19 of last year.

Özbilici’s winning photo was part of a series titled “An Assassination in Turkey,” which also won the Spot News – Stories category, which he captured in the moments before and after Altıntaş drew a handgun and shot Karlov at a photo exhibition.

After the incident, Özbilici said: “I decided to attend simply because it was on my way home from the office.”

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