Turkish gunman who shot the Pope in 1981 was ‘relieved he didn’t die’ and now cares for stray animals
THE Turkish gunman who shot the Pope in 1981 has told of his relief he didn't die.
Mehmet Ali Agca, now 62, spends his days caring for rescue cats after serving three decades in prison.
He revealed he thinks of the shooting most days, as he feeds stray cats and dogs near his home in Istanbul.
He : "I’m a good man now. I try to live my life properly. When I shot him I was 23. I was young and I was ignorant.
“I remember how rational I felt. I fired the gun and then it jammed.”
The former terrorist added: "It was destiny. And it was destiny he survived. I am very glad he didn’t die.
“The Pope became like a brother to me. When he died [in 2005] I felt like my brother or my best friend had died.”
On May 13, 1981, Pope John Paul II was moving through St Peter's Square in the Popemobile.
As he went through the crowds, Agca fire a gun four times at him, with all four bullets hitting him.
He ran as people panicked and threw the weapon under a lorry, but was grabbed by a Vatican security chief, a nun and several bystanders.
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
His motive has never been fully explained, after he bought a gun from a man in the street and launched the attack.
He says he had an English girlfriend at the time and had known he would try and kill the Pope while with her.
The Pope forgave Agca and visited him in prison after his recovery - something he won't talk about. He was pardoned in 2000 at the Pope's request and extradited to Turkey.
Agca spent ten more years in prison for murdering a newspaper editor and bank raids before being released.
He has since claimed the Soviet Union was behind the assassination attempt, saying "they wanted him dead".
After leaving the country a number of times - once to visit Russia and once to sneak into Italy and place Roses at the spot in the Vatican where he fired the shots - he spends his days feeding animals.
He said: "Animal rights are as important as human rights. I spend around £200 a month feeding them.
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"It is the right thing to do – they all know me and come running when they see me. They are all so innocent. We must look after them as well as we look after people.”
The ex prisoner is hoping to make a film or documentary on what happened.
And he added he would like to visit London, if he can get a visa.
