Turkey court orders release of suspected killer of Russian pilot

The alleged killer of a Russian fighter jet pilot was ordered to be released from prison on Monday by a court in Turkey's western city of Izmir, local media said.

Alpaslan Celik was set free along with seven others, but the court also issued a travel ban on him, the private Dogan news agency reported.

Celik was first caught in late March at a restaurant in Izmir with several others who had weapons with them.

He had denied any involvement in the killing of the Russian pilot, who was being ejected from his plane after it was shot down by Turkey last November over Syria.

A Turkish public prosecutor decided to drop all the charges against Celik in May.

The Izmir prosecutor's office reopened the investigation last Friday, however, citing new evidence about the incident.

The second hearing is slated for November, Dogan said.

The downing incident has chilled Russia-Turkey ties, while Moscow has been demanding an apology and compensation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed deep sadness over the downing in a letter to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the Turkish presidential spokesman said on Monday.

According to the spokesperman, Turkey and Russia have agreed to take necessary steps as soon as possible to improve bilateral relations. Endit