Photo of Russian ambassador's assassination wins World Press Photo

Turkish photographer Burhan Ozbilici of Associate Press was awarded the World Press Photo in Amsterdam on Monday. He won with his photo of 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, who gunned down a Russian ambassador in Turkey on December 19th last year. The photo was taken during the attack on ambassador Andrei Karlov.

The jury called the winning photo "an explosive image that portrays the hatred in our time", according to broadcaster NOS. "Each time this photo came into view, you recoiled because it is so explosive. It is the epitome of what the World Press Photo of the year should be."

Photographer Ozbilici was at the event where the Russian ambassador was assassinated in December last year by happenstance. When the attacker started shooting, he decided to keep taking photos instead of seeking shelter.

"I remember thinking: I might be killed or injured, but the Russian ambassador has been shot. This is very big news, so as a journalist it is my responsibility to stand up and do my work", Ozbilici said in an interview with Rodney Bolt on Monday. "Even if I was killed, there would still be photos."