Germany expels Russian diplomats after murder in Berlin

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German prosecutors have said there is enough evidence to suggest that Russia or Chechnya ordered the murder of a Georgian man in Berlin. Two Russian diplomats working at the embassy in Berlin have also been expelled.

German federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday that they are taking over investigations into the murder of a Georgian asylum-seeker in Berlin, confirming earlier reports. With Berlin's attorney general saying evidence points to Russian state involvement, pressure is likely to mount on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government to send a strong signal to Moscow. What we know so far: - In a statement, prosecutors said there is "sufficient evidence" to indicate that the man's murder was carried out on the behalf of the Russian state or by Chechnya. - Federal prosecutors in Germany take over investigations when there is a strong suspicion of involvement by a foreign state. - The German foreign ministry also announced that two employees at Russia's embassy in Berlin had been designated personae non grate and were expelled. - The names and positions of the diplomats were not given, although the ministry said it took the move after Russian authorities failed to "cooperate sufficiently" in the murder investigation. - Russia's foreign ministry called the move to expel the diplomats an "unfriendly, ungrounded step" and vowed to respond. Suspicions from beginning: In late August, 40-year-old Zelimkhan Khangoshvili was shot in an "execution-style" killing at Berlin's Kleiner Tiergarten park. The suspect in the case, a 49-year-old Russian national, carried out the drive-by shooting on a bicycle in broad daylight — shooting the victim in the head and chest, prosecutors said. The killing drew suspicion of Russian involvement from the beginning, although Moscow had denied any involvement. Who was the victim? Khangoshvili was an asylum-seeker of Chechen descent from Georgia who fought against the Russians as a separatist during the Second Chechen War from 1999 - 2009. He was also known by a second identity "Tornike K." which was the one used by German prosecutors. After the war, he reportedly worked in both Ukraine and Georgia against Russian interests. In their statement, German prosecutors said he was "classified as a terrorist by Russian authorities and persecuted as such." He applied for asylum in Germany in 2016 following multiple attempts on his life in Georgia. His asylum application, however, was denied and he was slated for deportation. Khangoshvili's ex-wife, Manana Tsatieva, previously told DW: "We were warned that this would happen eventually." Political implications: The case threatens to worsen already heightened tensions between Berlin and Moscow. It also follows the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, and his daughter on British soil.

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