An 'Archduke Ferdinand' Moment, Or Merely Latest Event In Middle East Realpolitik? - RFE

[TomSea]

An 'Archduke Ferdinand' Moment, Or Merely Latest Event In Middle East Realpolitik?

It could have been a still from a Quentin Tarantino movie: the image of a photogenic young man -- armed and dangerous, and impeccably dressed in a dark suit and white shirt -- surrounded by an audience of TV cameras and smartphones, went viral in minutes.

He shouted in fury while the body of his dead victim lay motionless in the background. His right hand tensed by his side, clutching a gun. His left raised skyward to denote "Tawhid" (the oneness of God), usurping the traditional Muslim symbol for declaring God's unity in prayer, long since subverted by jihadists across the world.

In fact, he got it wrong. He should have raised his right hand, but it had just been used for murder and was otherwise engaged. Even this mistake seemed somehow to encapsulate our posttruth age. It was terrorism of the most contemporary kind, likely not conducted by a well-indoctrinated holy warrior, but by a frustrated, hopeless young man.

Continued: http://www.rferl.org/a/archduke-ferdinand-moment-or-just-more-realpolitik/28189664.html

[Quix]

@TomSea,


Sobering, for sure.

Was he a 'lone gunman?' . . . a plant, a stooge . . . ?

"merely" deranged?

Not a good country to pick on.

Not a good region for such 'antics.'

[TomSea]

@TomSea,


Sobering, for sure.

Was he a 'lone gunman?' . . . a plant, a stooge . . . ?

"merely" deranged?

Not a good country to pick on.

Not a good region for such 'antics.'

@Quix :

My inclination would be lone gunman; but some things have come out...

First, what is being reported in the press; I guess the gunman actually talked for a few minutes after his deed, I read that in one place.

Now,
1. This gunman was part of the contingent that was security for Erdogan (after the body guards and the like) a number of times, let's say 11 or 12 times.

2. On the day of the Turkish coup last July 15-ish, he called in sick not going to work that day.

These two items are just rough details I'm relating.  But here is the story per AFP: http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/253546/World/Region/Russian-envoys-killer-had-protected-Erdogan-Report.aspx

What looks like the Iranian (?) propaganda press, are stirring up the story this guy went to a CIA base camp in Iraq. I don't believe this to even be so.
http://awdnews.com/top-news/turkish-assassin-of-russian-ambassador-tracked-to-american-cia-base-in-iraq  (This has got to be false but maybe something to keep an eye on.)

Interestingly, another article I read said Erdogan probably would not have wanted this to happen because it happened the same day that a tunnel was opened, an engineering feat, I saw pictures of it, of a tunnel under the Bosphorus Strait. That would be here.



The assassination took attention from this groundbreaking ceremony and this tunnel truly is an engineering feat.

[Quix]

@Quix :

My inclination would be lone gunman; but some things have come out...

First, what is being reported in the press; I guess the gunman actually talked for a few minutes after his deed, I read that in one place.

Now,
1. This gunman was part of the contingent that was security for Erdogan (after the body guards and the like) a number of times, let's say 11 or 12 times.

2. On the day of the Turkish coup last July 15-ish, he called in sick not going to work that day.

These two items are just rough details I'm relating.  But here is the story per AFP: http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/253546/World/Region/Russian-envoys-killer-had-protected-Erdogan-Report.aspx

What looks like the Iranian (?) propaganda press, are stirring up the story this guy went to a CIA base camp in Iraq. I don't believe this to even be so.
http://awdnews.com/top-news/turkish-assassin-of-russian-ambassador-tracked-to-american-cia-base-in-iraq  (This has got to be false but maybe something to keep an eye on.)

Interestingly, another article I read said Erdogan probably would not have wanted this to happen because it happened the same day that a tunnel was opened, an engineering feat, I saw pictures of it, of a tunnel under the Bosphorus Strait. That would be here.



The assassination took attention from this groundbreaking ceremony and this tunnel truly is an engineering feat.

Interesting. Thanks.

Our era will not lack for intrigue.

[TomSea]

I've got to believe he acted alone.

But you never know.