A plot to assassinate Pope Francis during a trip to Iraq was stopped after a tip-off from British intelligence, according to his upcoming biography.
The pope writes that after landing in Baghdad in March 2021, he was told that the event where he was scheduled to appear was being targeted by suicide bombers.
He added in excerpts published by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that the two attackers were intercepted and subsequently killed.
The visit, which took place over three days during the Corona virus pandemic, was the first ever by a Pope to Iraq and witnessed an intense security operation.
I have seen previous years Increase in sectarian violence In Iraq, there is fighting between Shiite and Sunni Muslims, as well as persecution of religious minorities.
The country's Christian community has shrunk dramatically, having been targeted in particular by ISIS and other Sunni extremists.
In excerpts from his autobiography, the pope says: “Almost everyone advised me not to” visit, but he felt he “had to do it.”
He says that British intelligence uncovered the plot, which alerted the Iraqi police, and they in turn informed his guard as soon as he arrived.
“A woman, a young suicide bomber, was loaded with explosives, heading towards Mosul to blow herself up during the papal visit,” he says.
“A truck also drove off at high speed with the same intention.”
The Pope adds that he asked a security official the next day what happened to the potential attackers.
“(The official) answered tersely: They are no longer there. The Iraqi police intercepted them and blew them up,” he wrote.
The book, titled “Hope,” is scheduled to be published on January 14.
The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to Reuters news agency.
