A Turkish court today sentenced a 16-year-old boy to 18 years in jail for the murder of an Italian Catholic priest in a shooting that shocked the Muslim nation.
Father Andrea Santoro (61) was shot dead while praying in his church in the Black Sea city of Trabzon in February.
The state Anatolian news agency quoted the Trabzon court as saying the boy had been found guilty of "premeditated murder, possessing a weapon without a licence and endangering public security".
Witnesses say the boy shouted "Allahu Akbar" (Arabic for "God is greatest") before shooting the priest. The boy's name has not been published because he is a minor.
Turkey's government strongly condemned the shooting, which coincided with increased religious tensions worldwide following the publication of cartoons lampooning Islam's Prophet Mohammad in Danish newspapers.
Pope Benedict, who is due to visit Turkey in November, paid tribute to Fr Santoro in a mass at the Vatican.