28-01-2010, 06:34 AM
A Turkish man responsible for shooting and injuring Pope John Paul II in 1981 is asking Croatia for political asylum, local media report.
Mehmet Ali Agca made the same plea to Italy and Spain, but was rejected. The two counties viewed him as a terrorist, Agca’s lawyer said. Agca refused to say whom he was working for when he attempted to murder the Pope. He has offered to do so in an interview for $3 million.
Agca served a 19-year sentence in Italy before being deported to Turkey. Once back in Turkey, he faced more jail time for killing a journalist in 1979. He was released on 18 January, and is now looking to call Croatia home, reports local media.
Agca was quoted in Croatian media saying, “Croatia is a Catholic country, and I am a Catholic. Jesus Christ was a prophet but not the Son of God as it says in the Bible we know. I am ready to write a new Bible and would love to do that in Croatia because Italy and Spain have refused to grant me asylum.”
Committing a serious, non-political crime prevents people from receiving asylum under the Croatian law. Croatian has granted asylum to 15 people since 2006.
http://balkanblog.org/
Mehmet Ali Agca made the same plea to Italy and Spain, but was rejected. The two counties viewed him as a terrorist, Agca’s lawyer said. Agca refused to say whom he was working for when he attempted to murder the Pope. He has offered to do so in an interview for $3 million.
Agca served a 19-year sentence in Italy before being deported to Turkey. Once back in Turkey, he faced more jail time for killing a journalist in 1979. He was released on 18 January, and is now looking to call Croatia home, reports local media.
Agca was quoted in Croatian media saying, “Croatia is a Catholic country, and I am a Catholic. Jesus Christ was a prophet but not the Son of God as it says in the Bible we know. I am ready to write a new Bible and would love to do that in Croatia because Italy and Spain have refused to grant me asylum.”
Committing a serious, non-political crime prevents people from receiving asylum under the Croatian law. Croatian has granted asylum to 15 people since 2006.
http://balkanblog.org/
"The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it." Karl Marx
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"He would, wouldn't he?" Mandy Rice-Davies. When asked in court whether she knew that Lord Astor had denied having sex with her.
“I think it would be a good idea” Ghandi, when asked about Western Civilisation.