Earlier today, Andrey Karlov (the Russian Ambassador to Turkey) was assassinated during an art exhibition in Ankara. As there were professional photographers and videographers present, multiple images were captured in addition to video documenting the killing and its aftermath.
In this image taken immediately after the shooting, Mevlut Mert Altintas (the assassin) can be seen. Although it can't be seen in this cropped photo, he is standing adjacent to the body of Ambassador Karlov. Altintas was reportedly a 22 year-old off duty (or possibly former) Turkish police officer at the time of the attack.
Note the expression on Altintas' face in the above photograph. Although there is anger present - it's his secondary feeling. The dominant emotion being experienced and thus projected is that of Contempt. On the faces of those committing terrorist acts, the expressions of contempt and/or disgust are present virtually 100% of the time.
In this second, distorted image, taken a few moments before the shooting, the Assassin can be seen. Here there is also contempt being displayed (on the mid-face and mouth) - although here it is being considerably suppressed.
The configuration of his hands is a portion of, and variation of what some law enforcement personnel call "Parade Rest" (and some military, yet the hands tend to be held behind the back in most militaries). Yet if we slice this nonverbal moment even thinner and evaluate the position of his thumbs and correlate this with the indirect gaze of his eyes (along with his previously noted contempt) - we can further conclude this body language cluster is highly consistent with a significantly heightened level of anxiety as well as clandestine planning.
Furthermore, although his feet cannot be seen directly, when we look at the angle of the assassin's legs, it's obvious that they are planted further than his shoulder's width apart. Such a leg-angle/foot-distance display is considerably hyper-alpha and projects the mental state of a person preparing for an intense physical act.
My condolences and prayers to the family of Ambassador Karlov.
Photo credits: Burham Ozbilici
See also:
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3790: Senator John McCain Believes Russian Election Interference Could 'Destroy Democracy'
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3788: President Obama's Press Conference - 'Not much happens in Russia without Vladimir Putin'
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3786: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte admits he personally carried out extrajudicial killings
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3763: Matt Smith, Claire Foy and Where NOT to be stung by a Wasp - Body Language, Emotional Intelligence and Predicting Empathy
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3756: Amy Adams, Anxiety and Hesitancy to Disclose
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3587: The Orlando Mass Shooting, Omar Mateen and Warning Signs
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2976: Joseph Goebbels - Hitler's Propaganda Minister Showed this Chronic Display - Body Language Tells
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