Pope Francis was reportedly going to be attacked by South Asian Jihadist terrorist organization Jemaah Islamiyah during his recent trip to the Philippines, according to police sources and multiple news outlets.
The pope's route of the papal motorcade had apparently been set up with bombs in a bid to assassinate him on January 18, 2015. But the terrorists' attempt of detonating explosives was thwarted after tight security changes and adjustments were made to Francis' program, Prensa Latina reported.
On Monday, former Special Action Force commander Getulio Napeñas testified that Jemaah Islamiya, in coordination with Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir (alias Marwan), had planned to set off a bomb near the pope's convoy in Manila, according to "unverified" information received from the Philippine National Police.
"We got wind of this piece of info but this was unverified and unconfirmed information," Military spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla Jr. said.
The device, manufactured by Marwan and a terrorist group called the Black Flag Movement, had been situated in Kalaw Street, where the papal caravan was going to pass en route to Rizal Park, the site of the papal Mass attended by millions of Catholics.
Immediately after police officials got wind of the rumors, the security plan on the papal visit was adjusted to ensure the pontiff's safety. "Just the same planning adjustments were made in consideration of this and to ensure protection of the Pope," he added.
The military and Vatican security had also received raw information on the plot against the pope, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Gregorio Catapang confirmed.
Napeñas' statements on Monday came during a Senate investigation into the death of 44 Special Action Force members during last month's Mindanao operation, in which Marwan was killed, according to Breitbart.
"Thanks to our new breed of 44 heroes and the other members of PNP-SAF who executed Oplan Exodus," he said.
Meanwhile Jemaah Islamiyah, translated as "Islamic Congregation," is al-Qaeda's arm in the region and seeks to establish an Islamic Caliphate across Southeast Asia.
Marwan, considered the "Osama Bin Laden of Southeast Asia," was known to be one of the most dangerous terrorists in Southeast Asia and reportedly had a bounty of five million dollars offered for his capture. The Malaysian specialized in bomb-making, including those detonated remotely by mobile phones, and was a suspect in the Bali bombing.
