ANKARA, Turkey (AP) ¿ The gunman who shot Pope John Paul II was being transferred to an Ankara prison from Istanbul yesterday at his request, his brother and ex-lawyer said.

Mehmet Ali Agca, who shot and wounded Pope John Paul II in 1981, was on his way to a high-security prison in Sincan, on the outskirts of Ankara, from Istanbul's Kartal prison, his brother Adnan Agca told The Associated Press by telephone.

A prosecutor in Istanbul, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to media, confirmed the transfer but refused to give more information.

Agca's former lawyer, Mustafa Demirbag, confirmed that Agca left the Kartal prison yesterday morning, adding that his client had asked to be transferred to a city closer to his hometown Malatya almost a year ago. Ankara is mid-way between Malatya and Istanbul. Demirbag was representing Agca until earlier this week. Agca has served prison time in both Italy and Turkey. He was released from prison earlier last year because of an incorrect calculation by a lower court on his time already served. But he was sent back to prison on January 20, eight days after being freed. He is currently scheduled to be released in 2010.