Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman, who shot and wounded John Paul II in 1981 laid white flowers at the saint's tomb in St. Peter's Basilica on the 31st anniversary of his meeting with the pope.
According to FOX News, a Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Ciro Benedettini, said that the surprise visit by Agca, believed to be his first time in the Vatican since the assassination attempt, lasted a few minutes.
Agca was forgiven for the attack by John Paul, who visited him in a prison in Rome on Dec 27, 1983. Following pope's intervention, the gunman was released in 2000.
A video filmed by an Italian journalist accompanying Agca in the basilica showed Agca at the pope's tomb.
In the video, he thanked the saint and said that he had come to visit his tomb because he had met him on Dec. 27, 1983.