by Matt Barr

Agca freed

Ali Agca served his term -- and we don't mean he was sentenced to life in prison then released (scroll down to 'Weasel Watch' item) -- and walked out of a Turkish prison today. Ever been to a Turkish prison, Billy? John Paul II has (no, he hasn't; Agca was imprisoned in Italy for 20 years), visiting his would-be assassin two years after the 1981 shooting and forgiving him.

Agca would go back to his job, but his employer went out of business in 1991. He's not a man without options though: he allegedly dodged the Turkish draft and may be "recruited," perhaps to a Turkish military prison.

The Justice Ministry in Turkey is planning to appeal the release. For his part, Agca wants to meet Benedict XVI. My uninformed gut feeling is that the Vatican will politely decline.

I've been trying to think of something clever to say about this bit in the Washington Post (second link above), but I'm at a loss.

Agca was released at exactly 9:30 a.m. A phalanx of green-uniformed soldiers bundled him, still handcuffed, into a white Hyundai sedan inside Kartal H-type Prison on Istanbul's far southeast side. As the car rolled out of the pink prison gates, a clutch of about 20 supporters, belonging to a group of extreme nationalists dating from Agca's youth, threw red and yellow carnations at it. While Islamic slogans were chanted, an unidentified admirer across the street slit the throat of a ram as a gesture of welcome.

What do these maniacs do when someone is unwelcome?

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