Turkish prison to release man who shot Pope John Paul II
‘The man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 will be released from prison this week after a court decided he had completed his sentence on charges in another case - a ruling that took the Vatican by surprise.
Mehmet Ali Agca was extradited to Turkey in 2000 after serving almost 20 years in Italy for shooting and wounding the pope in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. His motive for shooting Pope John Paul in the abdomen on May 13, 1981, remains unclear.
Agca, who turns 48 today, was to be released on parole Thursday, said his lawyer, Mustafa Demirbag.’
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