The police officer who assassinated the Russian ambassador at an art exhibit provided security for the Turkish president after an attempted coup by a terror organization he had once investigated, according to a new report.

Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş, 22, was one of the investigators assigned to a 2015 probe of the Fethullah Terrorist Organization, the founder of which, Turkish preacher Muhammet Fethullah Gülen, lives in self-imposed exile in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, the Hurriyet Daily News reported Wednesday.

Altıntaş also monitored meetings held by the terror organization in Izimir, a city in the western province of Turkey, the newspaper said. It was unclear if he became radicalized during that time.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blamed the jihadist group for a failed July 15 coup and demanded that the United States extradite Gülen to his country for being the alleged mastermind behind the plot. The US has refused to comply.

Altıntaş was part of Erdogan’s security detail when the leader attended discussions about the coup in the capital city of Ankara, Hurriyet reported.

“There are interesting connections of Altıntaş. The assassin police officer was on duty for eight [meetings] of President Erdoğan in Ankara after July 15,” the newspaper reported. “He was in the unit that provided domestic security [for President Erdogan]. God forbid, he could have also acted there.”

New details also emerged about the shooting death of Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov, 62, at Monday night’s art exhibition in Ankara.

Moments after Altıntaş pumped several bullets into Karlov’s back as he stood at a podium delivering a speech, police officers immediately opened fire at the well-dressed assassin, believing he was a suicide bomber, Herriyet reported.

“Altıntaş continued to fire shots inside the Contemporary Arts Center after shooting the ambassador,” the newspaper said.

“The traffic police took the first precautions as other police officers arrived at the scene. When the officers told him to surrender, he refused, saying that ‘he was there to die’ and continued to fire shots,” the newspaper said.

“He also gave the same answer to the Special Forces that arrived at the scene. After that he was shot in the leg. He fell to the ground, but didn’t stop. When he attempted to put his hands in his pocket the police thought that he might be a suicide bomber,” the newspaper added.

Police shot him dead not knowing he was a cop.