Al Qaeda planned to kill the Pope

The local Al Qaeda branch Jamaah Islamiyah wanted to kill the Pope during his visit to the Philippines. The perpetrator of the attack was supposed to be a Malaysian terrorist known by the nickname Marwan, whose real name is Zulkifi bin Abdhir, an explosives expert whose "services" were used by many jihadist organizations.

This information, as reported by Corriere della Serra, was presented by the head of the Philippine police and former leader of their SWAT teams, reports the Patria News Agency.

According to his information, Marwan was supposed to build a bomb that would explode during the Pope's procession on the evening of January 18, on the way to the place where the mass was held. The Filipinos did not state the reason for the assassination attempt's failure. 

Seven days later, Marwan was killed in a special forces operation. His death was also confirmed by the FBI, writes Corriere, adding that there was a million-dollar reward for him. 

Jamaah Islamiyah has committed some of the bloodiest attacks in the region, including the one in November 2002 in a nightclub in Bali, which killed over 200 people and injured over 200 others, mostly foreign tourists.