Would-be Papal Assassin Agca May Be Conscripted on Jail Release

Mehmet Ali Agca, seen here when Pope John Paul II pardoned him for his murder attempt, may face compulsory military service upon his release from jail. Photo by BGNES

Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish national who tried to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981, may have to carry out his military service after his release from prison Monday.

The military recruiting office in Agca's home town Malatya wants him to be examined by military doctors immediately on his release, said his lawyer Hasi Ali Odjan.

52-year-old Agca, who has spent 30 years behind bars in Ankara, had been identified as unfit for military service in 2006 by a military hospital in Istanbul, when he was released from prison by mistake for eight days.

"The Ministry of Defense claims it has not approved the document. We want this mistake to be corrected by tomorrow," insisted the lawyer.

If the Turkish Defense Ministry fails to confirm Agca as unfit for military service, which is compulsory for all Turks aged 18 and over, the prisoner will be taken under military escort to the Military Enrolment Bureau and, if necessary, to a military hospital to undergo medical examination.

"Agca is in shock and says that cannot hold a weapon because of religious and philosophical convictions," added Odjan. He also said he feared for his client's safety if he is required to perform his military service.

Agca has been serving time in jail in Turkey since his extradition in 2000 from Italy. He was convicted of several crimes carried out in Istanbul before his attempt to kill Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981 in St Peter's Square in Rome.

Agca later admitted he had two Bulgarian accomplices in Rome at the time, including Zilo Vassilev, the Bulgarian military attache in Italy, and has stated that he will tell all when released.

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