Kurdish lawyer killed in Turkey

In Turkey, a well-known Kurdish lawyer, the head of the bar in the city of Diyarbakir, Tahir Elchi, was killed. He was shot dead by unknown gunmen while speaking to reporters on the street next to the mosque. The police returned fire, and one of the officers was killed in the shootout.

The Turkish state agency Anadolu reports that the PKK, banned in Turkey as a terrorist party, may be behind the attack.

Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala said the attackers fired from a car.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack and vowed to continue fighting terrorism.

• Tahir Elchi was detained by police in October on charges of promoting terrorism. He was released pending trial. The lawyer was charged following an interview in which he stated that the PKK was not a terrorist organization. He called it "an armed political movement with political demands".
• The Kurdistan Workers' Party is seeking the creation of Kurdish autonomy in Turkey.