Agca back in prison after court ruling

The man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 began his first day back in an Istanbul prison Saturday, while his brother led a brief protest outside the penitentiary accusing authorities who ruled for his return to custody of bowing to government pressure.

Mehmet Ali Agca was returned to Kartal prison, the same Istanbul lockup from which he was released eight days ago, on Friday, hours after an appeals court ruled he should serve out his full sentence for the killing of a Turkish journalist and other crimes. His return followed public outrage at his early release.

The appeals court overturned a lower court's ruling that set Agca free on Jan. 12. A local prosecutor will decide how many more years he should serve. Reports have suggested he could be imprisoned until 2014.

Read the whole story on The New Anatolian

See also:

• Ağca back in prison for a further 8 years (Hürriyet)
• Agca re-arrested after court ruling (Turkish Weekly)
• Italy Knew of Agca’s Plans to Assassinate Pope (Zaman)
• Agca: KGB Asked me to Shoot the Pope (Zaman)