A Turkish special forces police officer-turned-terrorist shot dead Russia's ambassador to Turkey and wounded at least three others inside an Ankara art exhibit Monday, shouting jihadi slogans before being killed.

Fox News reports that Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov, 62, was giving a speech at the Ankara Center for Contemporary Art when the jihadist suddenly shot Karlov several times in the back. Video shows Karlov grimacing and falling to the floor as the gunman began shouting "Allahu akbar" and "Arabic verses popular with Jihadis," according to Fox translators.

"Do not forget Aleppo, do not forget Syria," he screamed as he waved his handgun threateningly. "We die there every day...We are not safe here in the streets when they are dying over there," he said. "You’ll never be safe as long as other mothers are unsafe...Keep filming me, only my dead corpse will leave this building."

Referring to the Syrian conflict, he added, "Whoever is responsible for this [tyranny] is going to pay."

Turkish media reported the gunman was killed shortly thereafter. He was identified as a Turkish special forces police officer, said Ankara mayor Melih Gokcek, who also noted that the attack was aimed at ruining relations between Turkey and Russia.

"We qualify what happened as a terrorist act," said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

"We condemn this act of violence, whatever its source," said U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby. "Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."