Ağca, Mehmet Ali

Mehmet Ali Ağca (Turkish pronunciation: [mehˈmet ɑˈli ˈɑːdʒɑ]; born 9 January 1958) is a Turkish hitman, former member of the Grey Wolves. He murdered the leftist journalist Abdi İpekçi on 1 February 1979 and was imprisoned. He escaped from prison and travelled illegally to Vatican City on 13 May 1981 to assassinate Pope John Paul II. However, after a failed assassination attempt, he was captured and imprisoned by the Italian police. After being imprisoned for 19 years in Italy where he was visited by the Pope, he was deported to Turkey, where he served a ten-year sentence. Ağca was released from prison on 18 January 2010. He described himself as a mercenary with no political orientation, although he is known to have been a member of the fascist, Turkish ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves, as well as the state-sponsored Counter-Guerrilla. Thirty-three years after his crime, Ağca visited Vatican City to lay white roses on the tomb of the recently canonized John Paul II, and said he wanted to meet Pope Francis, a request that was denied.