THE Turk who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 was released from prison yesterday after more than 29 years behind bars and proclaimed he was a messenger of God and the world will end this century.

The Turkish man who shot Pope John Paul II offered in 2000 to capture al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and planed to kill the late Syrian President Hafez Assad, a Turkish newspaper reported today, printing what it said were letters the gunman wrote.

A Turkish military hospital today said the Turkish man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 was not fit for obligatory military service, his lawyer said.

THE Turkish gunman who spent 25 years behind bars for shooting Pope John Paul II in 1981 was released yesterday but may soon be returned to jail.

The Turkish man who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 is looking forward to his release from prison but has not made any plans for the future, his lawyer said.