I’ve been running across this story here and there… and apparently there have been longstanding suspicians of Soviet involvment. I’ve not seen any legitimate media reporting this, save for this BBC story basically giving a rundown of the conspiricy theory.
I’ve no doubt the KGB would have loved to see the Pope disappear, and I would not put it past them to perhaps try it. Anyone have the dope on this story?
Google up “Mehmet Ali Agca” and “the Bulgarian connection”- you should get some info there.
It’s been a while but essentially, the theory was the Bulgarian KGB was involved in Mehmet Ali Agca’s shooting of PJPII to silence his support for Solidarity in Poland & other resisters to Communism in Eastern Europe. From there, it was supposed that the Bulgarian KGB wouldn’t have acted on this without consent, or more likely, orders from the USSR KBG. Some Bulgarian KGB agents were tried for conspiracy in the assassination but acquitted. IIRC, Agca has usually denied such a plot but may have made some cryptic comments indicating otherwise.
Interestingly, the main KGB director at the time of PJPII’s shooting, as well as the downing of KAL 700, was Yuri Andropov. When YA was elevated to head the USSR, various conservative circles had “Wanted” posters of him. Alas, I never shelled out the bucks for some.
FWIW, the Arizona Republic today had this blurb under a photo of the would be killer and the Pope (the pope forgiving Ali in the picture):
“Agca previously has indicated that he acted alone, but he now says he had the “help of priests and cardinals””
Speaking of the theories from conservative circles:
I did some reading into this a few years back and it seemed to me the guy was a nut who would implicate anyone who seemed convenient; I don’t recall a shred of actual evidence the USSR was involved.