site.btaMay 13, 1981: Attempt on Pope John Paul II and Case of Sergei Antonov

On May 13, 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot and seriously wounded in St. Peter's Square by Turkish national Mehmet Ali Agca, a member of the Grey Wolves terrorist organization. The attack shocked the world and triggered a complex international investigation.

Sergei Antonov, a Bulgarian national, was charged with complicity in the attempt on Pope John Paul II's life. At the time, Antonov was deputy director of the Balkan Airlines office in Rome.

He was arrested in Rome on November 25, 1982, following accusations by Agca, who claimed Bulgarian involvement in the plot. Agca himself was arrested on the scene and sentenced to life in prison.

After a lengthy trial, the criminal court of Rome acquitted Antonov for lack of evidence on March 29, 1986. He returned to Bulgaria in very poor health.

Nearly a decade later, on December 7, 1995, during an audience with Bulgarian President Zhelyu Zhelev, Pope John Paul II stated for the first time that Bulgaria was not to blame for the crime committed by Agca.