'The civilized world must change thinking' says Trump in wake of attacks in Turkey and Germany

President-elect Donald Trump offered his condolences to the family of slain Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov following his assassination in Ankara yesterday (19 December). He also extended his thoughts to the victims of terror attacks in Germany and Switzerland.

"The murder of an ambassador is a violation of all rules of civilized order and must be universally condemned," Trump said in a statement released following the shooting.

Karlov was gunned down at an art exhibition where he was speaking. And his death sparked vows from Russian President Vladimir Putin that "the killers will feel" Russia's revenge.

After shooting Karlov, the gunman, an 22-year-old off-duty police officer, shouted "Allahu Akbar" and said he "made an oath to die in martyrdom... it is revenge for Syria and Aleppo... until they are safe, you will not taste safety."

Tump said Karlov was "assassinated by a radical Islamic terrorist" and extended "condolences to the family and loved ones of" the ambassador.

The president-elect followed up his official statements with tweets online about the incident and several other acts of terrorism that struck European nations on 19 December.

"Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany – and it is only getting worse," Trump wrote. "The civilized world must change thinking!"

A truck was purposefully driven into a Berlin Christmas market crowd, killing 12 people. And in Switzerland, a man entered a Muslim prayer hall in Zurich and began shooting, injuring three people.

Early today, a separate shooting incident occurred outside the US diplomatic mission near where Karlov was gunned down. A man fired off eight or nine shots in the air and was arrested by police. The US embassy in Ankara and consulates in Istanbul and Adana will be closed today.