John Paul II's gunman says Iran behind Pope's attempted murder in '81

Washington, Feb. 1 (ANI): The Turkish gunman who shot Pope John Paul II in his new autobiography has claimed that Iran's late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had personally told him to kill the pope.

In 'They Promised Me Paradise', which was released in Italy on Thursday, Mehmet Ali Agca wrote that he was trained in Iran by Khomeini's forces after escaping from a Turkish prison.

He added that the Iranian leader himself told him to kill John Paul in the name of God, Fox News reports.

Agca shot and wounded John Paul on May 13, 1981, in St. Peter's Square.

Minutes after being arrested, Agca said he had acted alone. Later, he suggested Bulgaria and the Soviet Union's KGB were behindAlison Parker and Adam Ward killed during live broadcast by suspected gunman Vester Lee Flanagan, who posted own video of shooting before killing himself

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Two local TV reporters were shot dead in the midst of a live broadcast in Virginia on Wednesday, the victims of an attack perpetrated by a disgruntled former colleague.



Virginia shooting: police say suspected gunman is dead - live updates Read more

The shooting occurred around 6.45am local time, in Moneta, near Roanoke, and appeared to have been carefully orchestrated to construct a horrific spectacle that would play out live on TV.

Reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, were broadcasting a live interview with an official from the local chamber of