Kremlin: Too early to say who behind Turkey envoy's killing

[December 21, 2016]    MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday it was too early to say who stood behind the murder of Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Andrei Karlov, who was shot dead by a gunman at an Ankara art gallery on Monday.

Flag-wrapped coffin of late Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov is carried to a plane during a ceremony at Esenboga airport in Ankara, Turkey, December 20, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Turkey's foreign minister has told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that Ankara and Moscow believe followers of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen were behind the killing, ministry sources said on Tuesday.

But when Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about the Turkish foreign minister's comments on Wednesday, he said it was too early to draw any conclusions about who may have orchestrated the murder.

"We need to wait for the results of the joint investigative group," Peskov told reporters on a conference call. "It is really not worth rushing to any conclusions."

Ankara has also accused Gulen of orchestrating a failed coup in July, a charge the cleric denies.

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Denis Pinchuk)

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