Did Americans prevent an assassination attempt on Pope Francis?

The head of the US House Homeland Security Committee, Michael McCaul, raised the alarm for security services when he said that Pope Francis could be in mortal danger during his visit to the US, reports the Patria News Agency. 

"I am also concerned as a Catholic. I think Pope Francis is a very passionate man who likes to be among people, and that is a great security risk. We are carefully analyzing all threats directed at Pope Francis and we have already prevented one dangerous situation," McCaul told NBC, adding that he believes America will protect the Pope when he visits on September 22nd.

McCaul did not reveal details or cases in which the head of the Catholic Church was threatened, nor did he reveal what the security services managed to prevent.

Many media outlets speculate that the statement refers to the case of an individual who wrote that he "would like to do something to the Pope." After writing the comment, the man was taken for a psychological evaluation, after which no evidence of any preparation for an assassination attempt was found. 

Police also investigated threats to a hospital in Philadelphia, in front of which a suspicious package was found, which later turned out to be just a brown bag filled with paper. A suspicious object was also the subject of an investigation on Friday in front of another hospital, and it turned out to be a pressure cooker. 

Pope Francis arrives in Washington on September 22nd, in New York on the 24th, and in Philadelphia on the 26th. It will be his first visit to the US, writes Index.