Khomeini Ordered John Paul II Shooting, Gunman Says
Crime | February 1, 2013, Friday| 1423 views
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Pope John Paul II pictured forgiving the man who made an attempt on his life Mehmet Ali Agca. File photo
Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca has revealed that it was Iran's late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who ordered the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II back in 1981.
In a book released on Thursday, Agca has stated that he was trained in Iran by Khomeini's forces after escaping from a Turkish prison, and that the Iranian leader himself told him to kill John Paul "in the name of God."
The book is entitled "They Promised Me Paradise," international media inform.
On May 13, 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot four times and seriously wounded in St. Peter's Square by Turkish assailant Mehmet Ali Agca.
Based on visits Agca made to Sofia, the theory that Bulgaria's communist secret service, and perhaps even the KGB, lay behind the attack emerged about a year after the incident. However, that version was later fully refuted.
During his visit to Bulgaria in May 2002, Pope John Paul II stated that he did not believe Bulgarians had anything to do with the attempt on his life.
Tags: Gunman, Mehmet Ali Agca, Turkish, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran, Pope John Paul II
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