The man who shot dead the Russian ambassador to Ankara on Monday has been identified as a Turkish policeman, the city's mayor said. 

"The attacker is a policeman," Melih Gokcek said on his official Twitter account, after numerous reports on social media identifying the gunman, who was smartly dressed in a suit and tie. 

The Yeni Safak daily said on its website that the attacker -- named as M.M.A. -- worked with anti-riot police in Ankara.