0:01

It's May 13, 1981, in St. Peter's

0:03

Square in the

0:06

Vatican City.

0:13

It's a sunny afternoon, and Mehmet Aliadja,

0:15

a young man from Turkey, lingers among

0:18

the crowd of pilgrims and tourists packed

0:20

into the shadows of St. Peter's facility.

0:23

A white, open-top car crawls slowly

0:25

across the cobblestones, standing

0:27

in the back as Pope John Paul II. And

0:30

as the car moves through the square, the

0:33

Pope reaches down and touches the outstretched hands

0:35

of the faithful. He blesses

0:37

the crowd, speaking in several languages. All

0:40

the while, Alja carefully tracks the Pope's

0:42

movements. John Paul II is

0:44

a relatively new Pope, having served only

0:46

three years. And at 61,

0:48

he's the youngest Pope in centuries. That

0:51

might be why he's more willing to take risks

0:54

than his advisors would like. Journalists

0:56

have commented that this weekly open-top

0:58

car ride leaves him exposed to

1:01

attack. But the Pope loves

1:03

seeing his people face to face. It's

1:05

energizing for him, and he believes that God will

1:07

protect him from harm. Alja

1:10

doesn't care about the Pope's reasons for

1:12

his weekly outings, only that they happen,

1:14

because unlike every other person in the

1:16

square, Alja is no pilgrim. As

1:20

the Pope's car draws near, Alja

1:22

reaches into his jacket and cocks

1:24

a 9-millimeter Browning semi-automatic pistol hidden

1:26

in his pocket. When

1:28

the Pope is only feet away, Alja pulls

1:30

out the gun and

1:35

fires four shots in quick succession.

1:38

The Pope cries out in pain, and St.

1:40

Peter's Square erupts in chaos. As

1:43

the white car speeds off with the Pope, Alja

1:45

pushes his way through the crowd. He

1:47

flings away his gun, hoping to escape in

1:49

the chaos. But he feels a hand grabbing

1:52

his shoulder and another snatching at his arm.

1:54

A few brave pilgrims in the crowd are

1:56

determined to stop him from escaping. Alja

1:59

lashes his way through the crowd. without trying to throw them

2:01

off. But as soon as he

2:03

loosens one person's grip, another takes hold. Aja

2:06

wrestles desperately, but there are too many

2:08

of them. The pilgrims force him to

2:10

the ground and restrain him as Vatican

2:12

security forces close in. Of

2:18

the four shots fired by Mehmet Ali

2:20

Aja, one bullet passed through Pope John

2:22

Paul II's torso. Another

2:24

struck his left hand. The remaining

2:27

two bullets hit people in the crowd. None

2:29

of these wounds prove fatal. But

2:32

in the aftermath of this shooting, people all

2:34

over the world wonder why someone would want

2:36

to assassinate the pope. Some theorize

2:38

that Aja was just a lone madman.

2:40

Others think he's an agent sent by

2:42

a foreign government. But no one

2:44

knows for sure. And though in

2:46

the months and years that follow, new facts

2:48

will come to light. To this day, there

2:51

are still many unanswered questions about what drove

2:53

Mehmet Ali Aja to shoot Pope John Paul

2:55

II on May 13, 1981. American

3:00

History Tellers is sponsored by Amica. As

3:03

they say in Amica, empathy is our

3:05

best policy. Whether you need auto, home, or

3:08

life insurance, Amica is ready to help

3:10

you protect the things that matter most

3:12

to you. They're a mutual company, customer-owned,

3:14

and in service to you. Amica

3:16

representatives are there when you need them, and you can

3:18

take comfort knowing that a real person will be there

3:20

on the phone to take care of you because

3:23

the greatest measure of their success

3:25

is your satisfaction. American

3:27

History Tellers is sponsored by T-Mobile.

3:29

You can count on T-Mobile to

3:31

help keep you connected. After investing

3:33

billions to light up their network

3:35

from big cities to small towns,

3:37

T-Mobile is America's largest 5G network.

3:40

Plus, when you switch to T-Mobile. versus

3:45

Verizon and AT&T. Look

3:47

at your neighborhood store or t-mobile.com

3:49

to switch. Plan savings with T-Mobile

3:52

third line free on essentials via

3:54

monthly bill credits versus comparable available

3:56

plans. Claim features may vary. Credit stop

3:58

if you cancel or change plans. noise

4:06

or inertia on Lindsey Graham and

4:09

this is history history

4:26

is made every day on this

4:29

podcast every day we tell the true stories of

4:31

the people and events that shaped our world today

4:34

is May 13th 1981 the

4:36

attempted assassination of Pope John Paul

4:38

II it's

4:43

June 5th 1979 at

4:45

an airport in Warsaw Poland two years

4:47

before the attempt on Pope John Paul

4:49

II's life stepping out of

4:51

a jet airplane the Pope stops at the top

4:53

of a staircase way on the

4:56

tarmac below are dignitaries camera crews

4:58

and thousands of adoring poles the

5:00

Pope waves walks down the staircase kneels

5:03

and then kisses the ground seeing

5:05

this the crowd roars for

5:07

the first time since he ascended to the

5:09

papacy eight months earlier John Paul II has come

5:12

home but it is a

5:14

complicated homecoming John Paul II

5:16

is the first Polish Pope in history

5:19

and he understands that the sway he

5:21

holds over his countryman is a potential

5:23

challenge to Poland's communist rulers the

5:27

Pope was born Karol Voiteva in

5:29

1920 in a small city outside

5:31

Krakow he grew up middle-class the

5:33

son of a military officer and a seamstress

5:36

but while his upbringing was initially comfortable

5:38

Karol was lucky to survive into adulthood

5:41

when he was 15 a friend jokingly fired

5:43

a gun at him at close range

5:45

believing the pistol was unloaded the

5:47

bullet only just missed and then

5:49

in 1939 Nazi Germany and the

5:52

Soviet Union both invaded Poland and divided

5:54

the country between them for

5:56

four years the teenage Karol had to work

5:59

in a quarry and German occupied Poland.

6:01

He might have died during the war like so

6:03

many other Poles were it not for the help

6:05

of a local archbishop. The support

6:07

Carol received from the church helped convince him

6:09

that it was his calling to become a

6:11

priest. The USSR

6:14

eventually joined the fight against Nazi Germany

6:16

and drove the Germans out of Poland.

6:19

But the young Carol never forgot how the

6:21

Soviets had collaborated with the Nazis to invade

6:23

his country. Now 34 years

6:26

after the end of World War II, Poland

6:28

is technically independent, but it is a communist

6:30

puppet state. And everyone knows that

6:32

it lies firmly under the thumb of Moscow. Even

6:35

the country's traditionally strong Catholicism is

6:38

frowned upon. Poland is

6:40

officially an atheist nation. But

6:42

the Polish people are restless. Wages

6:45

have stagnated and the price of basic

6:47

goods like butter, meat and sugar have

6:49

risen substantially. This led to widespread

6:51

protests in 1976 when

6:54

strikes, demonstrations and looting took place

6:56

throughout the country. The

6:58

Polish government responded brutally crushing the

7:00

uprising. Helicopters circled overhead

7:03

as tanks patrolled the streets restoring

7:05

order through brute force and intimidation.

7:08

But no matter how much the communist government

7:10

tightens its grip, you cannot control the mind

7:12

for the Polish people. And as

7:14

the Pope begins touring his homeland today,

7:16

Poland's faith is soon on full display.

7:20

From the airport Pope John Paul II has

7:22

driven into Warsaw. Two million

7:24

people line the streets as he drives by

7:26

chanting long live the Pope. And

7:29

when he reaches Victory Square in the center of

7:31

Warsaw the Pope gets out of his car in

7:33

front of another enormous crowd. He

7:35

climbs a staircase to an altar at the

7:37

base of a 30 foot crucifix erected specially

7:39

for his arrival. After years

7:41

of communist rule, Poles are unaccustomed to

7:44

such open displays of religion and many

7:46

weep at the site. Standing

7:48

at the altar, the Pope declares that outlawing

7:50

religion anywhere in the world is an act

7:52

of cruelty. His speech is

7:54

a direct challenge to Poland's communist government

7:57

which only allowed the Pope's visit because

7:59

it feared that... refusing it would lead

8:01

to another widespread rebellion. But

8:03

just hours into the tour, it seems like things

8:05

might get out of hand anyway. Emboldened

8:08

by the Pope's speech, the crowd

8:10

begins to chant, We want God.

8:13

And as the crowd whips into a

8:15

frenzy, the Pope declares that those who

8:17

fought to free Poland from Nazi Germany

8:19

will never be truly honored until the

8:21

country is truly independent. Again,

8:24

the crowd erupts and communist government

8:26

officials squirm. During his

8:28

nine-day tour of Poland, the Pope delivers

8:30

over 40 sermons, lectures, and addresses all

8:33

over the country. Wherever he

8:35

goes, people chant, We want God.

8:38

And these words come to represent not only

8:40

the Polish people's desire for religion, but

8:42

also their desire for political freedom. So

8:45

when the time comes for the Pope

8:47

to board his plane and continue his

8:49

European tour, he leaves behind an unspoken

8:51

feeling that something has changed, that the

8:53

Pope has reignited the flames of resistance

8:55

in Poland. Crucifixes and rosaries

8:57

are suddenly transformed from Catholic tokens

9:00

of faith into symbols of defiance.

9:03

And a year after the Pope's visit, the

9:05

Polish labor movement with millions of members will

9:07

encourage the nation's industrial factor to strike

9:09

and stand up to the Soviet Union.

9:12

This will cause concern in Moscow. And

9:15

behind closed doors, Soviet officials would begin to

9:17

discuss Pope John Paul II as

9:19

a destabilizing force. So when

9:21

he is shot in 1981, many

9:24

will blame the USSR for the attempted

9:26

assassination. The truth though, will turn

9:28

out to be far more complicated. Oh.

9:43

It's May 13th, 1981, in a police station in Rome just

9:47

hours after Mehmet Ali Aja shot Pope

9:49

John Paul II. Aja

9:52

sits in a window of cell, handcuffed,

9:54

he stares across a metal table at

9:56

two Italian police officers who yell

9:58

questions. Despite the bleak

10:01

circumstances though, Aja is smiling. He

10:03

seems to enjoy being interrogated. Aja

10:06

has been acting unpredictably ever since he

10:08

was arrested. When the police

10:10

first started questioning him, he admitted to the

10:12

crime immediately. But then he

10:14

recanted and began confessing to other bizarre

10:16

criminal plots which made no sense. He

10:19

said he recently traveled to England with plans

10:21

to assassinate the king, only to abandon the

10:23

plot when he arrived and found that England

10:26

has a queen. Realizing

10:28

that Aja's confessions might be unreliable,

10:30

police began looking for clues in

10:32

his background. In Aja's hotel

10:34

room in Rome, the police found a note

10:36

which stated that by shooting John Paul II,

10:39

he hoped to bring freedom to the people

10:41

of El Salvador and Afghanistan. This

10:43

too made little sense. It

10:45

was the USSR who had invaded Afghanistan two

10:47

years earlier in 1979. They'd

10:50

also backed an uprising in El Salvador the

10:53

same year. None of that seemed

10:55

to have anything to do with the Catholic Church and

10:58

left investigators scratching their heads. Now

11:01

though, hours into the interrogation, Aja

11:03

is finally telling what seems like

11:05

a coherent story. The Italian

11:07

police learned that Aja is a Turkish

11:09

Muslim with ties to an ultra right-wing

11:11

group called the Grey Wolves. Two

11:14

years ago, Aja murdered the editor of

11:16

a major left-wing newspaper in Istanbul. Afterwards,

11:19

he went on the run for five months

11:22

before being captured and sentenced to life in

11:24

prison. But he escaped, leaving

11:26

behind a note in which he called the

11:28

Pope an imperialist and a crusader and promised

11:30

to kill him. Coincidentally, Pope

11:32

John Paul II was due to visit

11:35

Istanbul just four days later. Local

11:37

police searched everywhere for Aja, but he was

11:40

nowhere to be found, and the Pope's visit

11:42

passed without incident. At

11:44

some point, Aja fled Turkey and traveled to

11:46

Bulgaria, where he picked up a pistol and

11:48

a fake passport. From there,

11:50

he traveled between Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and

11:53

Italy, never staying in one place too

11:55

long. When He arrived in

11:57

Rome, he waited for the Pope's weekly public

11:59

appearance. and try to make good on the

12:01

threat he'd made two years earlier. But.

12:04

I just story leaves police with more

12:06

questions and answers and the investigators demand

12:08

to know if he acted alone or

12:10

if he's following orders from. But

12:13

at this stage Anja has grown tired

12:15

the interrogation and refuses to say more

12:17

until he stands from. In.

12:19

The meantime new series began circulating

12:21

in the international media. A

12:24

month after the attack, the Washington Star

12:26

publishes an article alleging that the Soviets

12:28

security agency says he be hired odds

12:30

are to shoot the puck hoping to

12:33

prevent an uprising and Poland. Once

12:35

these allegations gain traction, the Soviets then

12:37

spread their own accusations that it was

12:40

the United States behind the past. But.

12:42

There is no concrete evidence for either

12:45

series, so two months later, all eyes

12:47

are on the Italian courtroom where Mehmet

12:49

Ali Anja is to stand trial and

12:51

maybe provide some answers. In

12:54

court on just consensus. Once again, he

12:56

declares himself a terrorist who makes no

12:58

distinction between right and left wing it

13:01

young which is he claims he acted

13:03

alone, receive no outside support, and pays

13:05

his own way across Europe by extorting

13:07

people for money. The

13:09

prosecution though contests this. They

13:12

asked how he managed to pay

13:14

for transportation, food, housing. Still, he

13:16

secured a fake passport and a

13:18

pistol. three stores and alone without

13:20

having a single run in with

13:22

police in five different countries they

13:24

contended. Just doesn't seem plausible someone

13:26

was surely helping. Odds are

13:28

refuses to elaborate. He said all he's

13:30

going to say. After. That

13:32

are just friends to go on a hunger

13:34

strike which brings the proceedings to an abrupt

13:37

halt after just a few days since he

13:39

has confessed and court though the investigation is

13:41

closed in our job is sentenced to life

13:43

imprisonment. For. Many that's the

13:46

end of them. But. Others continue

13:48

to speculate with suggestions that aren't L

13:50

was a Muslim extremist working for the

13:52

Kgb or the Cia. Or maybe he

13:54

was just a man's. On

13:57

John himself appears to resolve the mystery a

13:59

year later. When. He abruptly announces that

14:01

he did not act alone after all, and

14:03

was in fact sired by the Soviet. But.

14:06

By now, he's changed his story so many times

14:08

that no one knows what to move. Despite.

14:11

His latest confession. There will be no

14:13

new trial or official investigation into the

14:15

attempted assassination of Pope John Paul the

14:17

Second and onshore will remain in prison

14:19

for in Nineteen Eighty Three. He was

14:21

suddenly be thrust back into the spotlight

14:24

by an unexpected visit from I'm Nancy

14:26

Tried to kill. American

14:30

History Tellers has sponsored by Audible.

14:33

Listen. To a new bold take

14:35

on George Orwell's classic Nineteen Eighty

14:37

Four on audible storing an epic

14:39

cast with Andrew Garfield, cynthia repo,

14:41

Andrew Scott and featuring Tom Hardy

14:43

as big Brother. Plus. A

14:45

haunting original score by Matthew Bellamy and a

14:48

long history that takes this thrilling production to

14:50

the next level. Experience. And

14:52

immersive listening experience like nothing you've

14:54

heard before. A chilling tale of

14:56

constant surveillance, thought, police and rebellion.

14:59

Now more relevant than ever. Big

15:01

Brother is watching and listening. Here.

15:03

Why those who control the Pass

15:06

control the future? Listen to George

15:08

Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four on Audible.

15:10

Now go to audible.com/big Brother. American.

15:14

History Tellers is sponsored by see Bionics.

15:16

To. Paraphrase a classic movie Lethal Weapon.

15:18

I'm getting too old for this business

15:21

and I know I'm not the only

15:23

one. With every passing year, years in

15:25

a motor more and more often, I

15:27

just can't do it like I used

15:29

to like. a fun evening out mornings

15:31

after getting rougher and rougher. But there

15:33

might be some relief with a Z

15:36

Bionics pre alcohol probiotic drink the world's

15:38

first genetically engineered pro by asked to

15:40

tackle your ruff mornings after drinking. See:

15:42

Bionics creates an enzyme that breaks down

15:44

a toxic byproduct produced in the got.

15:46

When you drink alcohol, it's this byproduct,

15:49

not dehydration. us to blame for your

15:51

ruff next day. I'm. getting too

15:53

old for this is not a mantra

15:55

i want to keep so just make

15:57

z bionic your first drink of the

15:59

night drink responsibly and you'll few years

16:01

best tomorrow. Go to zbiotics.com/tellers to get

16:03

15% off your first order when

16:05

you use tellers at checkout. Zbiotics

16:07

is even backed with a hundred percent

16:09

money back guarantee if you're unsatisfied for

16:12

any reason. So head to zbiotics.com/tellers and

16:14

use code tellers at checkout for 15%

16:16

off. It's

16:29

December 27th 1983 in a prison on

16:31

the outskirts of Rome two and a

16:33

half years after the attempted assassination of

16:35

Pope John Paul II. The shooter Mehmet

16:38

Ali Aja sits alone in a bare

16:41

white walled cell. He wears

16:43

a blue sweater, jeans, and white running

16:45

shoes without laces. His face

16:47

is unshaven since being handed a

16:49

life sentence two years ago. Aja has been

16:51

left to languish in solitude. He

16:54

rarely receives visitors. But

16:56

today the door to his cell opens and the

16:58

guards lead in an unlikely guest, Pope

17:00

John Paul II. The

17:03

Pope is fully recovered from the shooting and

17:05

asks if Aja speaks Italian. The

17:07

would-be assassin nods and kisses the

17:09

Pope's outstretched hand. The two

17:11

men then sit down together in folding chairs

17:13

in the corner of the cell while a

17:16

camera crew films the ensuing conversation. For

17:19

months the Pope has been delivering sermons

17:21

on the theme of reconciliation. His

17:23

visit to Aja is intended to be

17:25

the ultimate public display of forgiveness. John

17:29

Paul II and Aja speak for 20

17:31

minutes. They lean their heads

17:33

close together clasping hands with Aja even

17:36

laughing several times. Neither of

17:38

them is wearing a microphone so the cameras

17:40

only capture the image of the men speaking.

17:43

Later that night when the footage is broadcast

17:45

around the world the Pope states that the

17:47

details of their conversation will remain a secret

17:49

between himself and Aja. He does

17:51

admit though that he forgave Aja and now

17:53

trusts him like a brother. The

17:56

Pope then stays in touch with Aja and

17:58

befriends his family. 17

18:00

years later, Aja is pardoned and released from

18:02

prison at the Pope's request. And

18:05

after John Paul II's death in 2014,

18:08

Aja returns to Rome and places flowers on

18:10

the tomb of the man he attempted to

18:12

murder. The truth behind why

18:14

Aja shot the Pope or who he worked

18:16

with may never be fully understood. But

18:19

John Paul II's decision to forgive his would-be

18:21

assassin sent a clear message to the world.

18:24

By embracing tolerance and mercy, both politically

18:26

and personally, the Pope was able to

18:28

make a valuable lesson out of the

18:30

most harrowing experience, the darkest moment of

18:32

his life, when he was shot in St.

18:34

Peter's Square on May 13, 1981. Next

18:43

on History Daily. May 14, 1643. A

18:47

four-year-old prince ascends to the throne of

18:49

France, beginning a decades-long reign that will

18:51

change the country forever. From

19:01

Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily,

19:03

hosted, edited, and executive produced by me,

19:06

Lincoln Green. Audio editing by

19:08

Mohammad Shazir. Sound design by Matthew

19:10

Filler. Music by Tron. This

19:13

episode is written and researched by Owen Long. Edited

19:16

by Joel Chen. Managing producer Emily

19:18

Miller. Executive producers for

19:20

William Simpson for Airship and Paskin Hughes

19:22

for Nooser. Wondery

19:30

Plus subscribers can binge American History

19:32

Tellers early and ad-free right now.

19:35

Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or

19:37

on Apple Podcasts. And if you enjoy American

19:39

History Tellers, be sure to give us a

19:42

five-star rating and leave a review. I read

19:44

every one of them. I also have two

19:46

other Wondery Podcasts you might like, American Scandal

19:48

and Business Movers. Follow American

19:50

History Tellers on the Wondery app, Amazon

19:52

Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

19:55

You can binge all episodes of American

19:57

History Tellers early and ad-free right now

19:59

by joining Wondery Plus in the

20:01

Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.

20:03

And before you go, tell us

20:05

about yourself by completing a short

20:07

survey at wondery.com/survey. And to

20:09

find out more about me, including my

20:11

other podcasts, go to not that Lindsey

20:13

graham.com. That's not that Lindsey

20:16

graham.com.