Mehmet Ali Ağca who shot Pope John Paul II standing trial for robbery

Mehmet Ali Ağca, who murdered left-wing journalist Abdi İpekçi in 1979 and attempted to assassinate and wounded Pope John Paul II in 1981 after escaping from prison appeared before a judge today (November 28) on charges of robbery.

Mehmet Ali Ağca, who changed his surname to Aslan, is being tried along with four other defendants on charges of forcibly taking possession of a person's house through intimidation in Bahçelievler, İstanbul.

He denied the accusations

Mehmet Ali Aslan (Ağca), along with the other defendants Gökhan Erdal, Muhittin Erdal, and Reyhan Erdal, attended the hearing at Bakırköy 24th Heavy Penal Court. The plaintiff Gökhan Soylu and the attorneys for the parties were also present at the hearing. 

During the hearing, the defendant Mehmet Ali Aslan (Ağca) made his defense, denying the allegations and claiming not to know the plaintiff and the other defendants:

"Ahmet Çetin did not have any recommendation regarding the purchase of this apartment. I entered into this matter directly through Ayhan. If I remember correctly, I bought the apartment for around 110,000 lira. I remember making the payment in cash. Upon Ayhan's request, I sold this house shortly thereafter. I don't remember how much I sold it for. After the sale, Ayhan called me and said that the person who bought the house was demanding 1 million lira, threatening to 'burn us' if we didn't pay. Ayhan mentioned this person as a 'loan shark.' As far as I know, Ayhan had business dealings with the plaintiff. I absolutely did not threaten the plaintiff. I request an acquittal."

According to Hürriyet's report, the plaintiff Gökhan Soylu stated, "Mehmet Ali Aslan (Ağca) said to me, 'I'm not responsible for what will happen if you don't transfer the title. You have a family, a child, aren't you afraid?' He mentioned the location of my house, the times my children go to work and come back, and claimed that he had previously had us followed. Because I was afraid of the threats, I had to transfer the property to Mehmet Ali Aslan. I did not file a complaint earlier because I was afraid of Mehmet Ali."

Ağca, on the other hand, defended himself by stating, "I cannot be involved in such a business for a 2+1, dilapidated house."

The court panel, announcing an interim decision, decided to continue the pursuit of the fugitive Ahmet Çetin. Witnesses will be heard in the next hearing.

Ağca and the other defendants are accused of committing the crime of "robbery with more than one person," and individual prison sentences ranging from 10 to 15 years are requested for each of them. (AS/PE)