John Paul II gunman unfit for military service

A Turkish military hospital on Monday reported the Turkish man who tried to kill Pope John Paul II in 1981 was not fit for obligatory military service, television stations reported. Mehmet Ali Agca, a draft dodger, went out of prison on Thursday. The military hospital's decision ended days of speculation about whether the 48-year-old gunman would have to serve in the army after spending some 25 years in prison in Italy and Turkey.

Agca, who had disappeared following his release from jail, resurfaced on Monday and reported to a military hospital in Istanbul. A panel of military doctors who examined him ruled Monday that he was not fit to be enlisted in the army, private CNN-Turk and NTV televisions reported.

It was not clear why Agca was found unfit for military service. Agca reportedly was complaining about some inflammation in his hands and feet. However, there were also some uneasy questions about his mental stability, reports the AP.

D.M.