Man who shot Pope ‘relieved he didn’t die’ as he tells of new life caring for cats

The man who shot the Pope has told of his relief that his victim did not die… and has revealed he was dating an English girl just weeks before the assassination bid. In an extraordinary interview with the Daily Mirror, Mehmet Ali Agca was asked if he regret­­ted the 1981 attack which shocked the world. After pausing for a second the former terrorist replied: "It was destiny. And it was destiny he survived. I am very glad he didn't die. "The Pope became like a brother to me. When he died [in 2005] I felt like my brother or my best friend had died." We tracked down Agca, 62, to Istanbul, Turkey, where he lives in a small apartment in a quiet suburb. After 29 years in jail he has renounced his violent past and neighbours know him better as the kind man who daily feeds stray cats and dogs. He said: "I think of how I shot the Pope on most days… not every day now but most days. "I'm a good man now. I try to live my life properly. When I shot him I was 23. I was young and I was ignorant. "I remember how rational… Read full this story

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