The U.S. on Tuesday roundly dismissed claims it was in any way involved in the assassination of Russia's envoy to Turkey.
"It's a ludicrous claim, absolutely false, there's no basis of truth in it whatsoever," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters. Secretary of State John Kerry conveyed the sentiment Tuesday during a telephone call with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Kirby added.
"The secretary in his conversation with the foreign minister did raise his concerns about some of the rhetoric coming out of Turkey with respect to American involvement/support, tacit or otherwise, for this unspeakable assassination yesterday because of the presence of Mr. [Fetullah] Gulen here in the United States," Kirby said.
Andrey Karlov was assassinated after being shot multiple times at an art exhibition in Ankara while delivering a speech. The assailant was 22-year-old Turkish riot policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas, who opened fire on the diplomat before shooting into the air, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent who witnessed the shooting.