Man who shot Pope released, declares he's 'Christ eternal', proclaims Apocalypse
Source: ca.news.yahoo.com
The Turkish man who shot Pope John Paul II nearly 29 years ago emerged from prison and declared himself a messenger from God, then spent his first night of freedom in a luxury hotel room.Mehmet Ali Agca, 52, said Monday he would talk to the media in the next few days.
But it seemed doubtful that his comments would clear up uncertainty over whether he acted alone or had the backing of communist agents, as he once claimed. He has issued contradictory statements over the years and there are questions about his mental health.
Agca shot John Paul on May 13, 1981, as the pope rode in an open car in St. Peter's Square. The pontiff was hit in the abdomen, left hand and right arm.
NEAR-FATAL MOMENT: Pope John Paul lies wounded in St. Peter's Square after an assassination attempt in this May 131981 file photo.
John Paul met with Agca in Italy's Rebibbia prison in 1983 and forgave him.
Following his release, Agca, his hair now grey, waved to journalists and sat calmly between two plainclothes policemen in the back of a sedan that took him to a military hospital. There, doctors concluded he was unfit for compulsory military service because of "severe anti-social personality disorder," said his lawyer, Yilmaz Abosoglu.