The Bizarre Story Of Mehmet Ali Ağca, The Turkish Hitman Who Tried To Assassinate Pope John Paul II
All That's Interesting | 04.02.2026 09:00
On a spring day in 1981, Pope John Paul II entered St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, where he was welcomed by a jubilant crowd. He greeted his supporters and even reached down to pick up a young girl. The pope had just handed the child back to her parents when shots suddenly rang out across the square. Bystanders, including a nun, reacted quickly by apprehending the gunman — a Turkish man named Mehmet Ali Ağca.
