German prosecutors indict man for Moscow-ordered hit in Berlin

German prosecutors file murder charges against a Russian man accused in the brazen daylight slaying in Berlin of a Georgian man, and say that the Russian state ordered the killing — adding to tensions between the two countries.

The case prompted Germany in December to expel two Russian diplomats, citing a lack of cooperation with the investigation of the Aug. 23 killing. Russia’s ambassador was called in to the foreign ministry in Berlin again today.

The victim, Tornike K., who also has widely been identified in reports on the killing as Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, was a Georgian citizen of Chechen ethnicity who fought against Russian troops in Chechnya. He had previously survived multiple assassination attempts and continued to receive threats after fleeing to Germany in 2016.

Federal prosecutors say that at some point before mid-July last year, “state agencies of the central government of the Russian Federation” tasked a Russian citizen they identified as Vadim K. with “liquidating” the victim.

— AP