Terror plot to kill Pope Francis on visit to Indonesia uncovered as 7 suspects arrested after ‘swearing ISIS allegiance’
A TERROR plot to kill Pope Francis has been uncovered with Indonesian cops swooping on seven suspects believed to be ISIS-inspired.
The foiled ploy targeted the Pope during his visit to Indonesia, where he started a 12-day tour of the Asia Pacific.
The suspects were arrested across September 2 and 3 after cops were tipped off by concerned citizens.
Cops raided one of the alleged militant’s houses to find bow and arrows, a drone and ISIS leaflets, according to The Straits Times.
The wannabe terrorists were apparently angered by the Pope popping into a Jakarta mosque.
Indonesian TV stations were reportedly asked not to broadcast the usual Islamic call to prayer while they showed Pope Francis’ visit, enraging the alleged maniac Jihadis.
The suspects have been named only as HFP, LB, DF, FA, HS, ER and RS.
It’s not yet clear whether they were all linked to one another.
A spokesman for Indonesia’s terror-crushing unit “Densus 88” – or Detachment 88 – said threats were aired on social media.
Colonel Aswin Siregar said: “We have a mechanism to monitor and filter.
“We had tip-off information from members of the public.
“Densus 88 has taken legal action against seven individuals … who made threats in the form of propaganda or terror threats via social media in response to the Pope’s arrival.
“There was also a threat to set fire to the locations.”
Over his 12-day tour, the 87-year-old Catholic Church leader is visiting Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.
He uses a wheelchair after suffering health issues over the last few years.
Speaking at the presidential palace in Jakarta earlier this week, he slammed religious extremism.
He said: “There are times when faith can be manipulated to foment divisions and increase hatred.
He added religious differences ought to be talked out, saying: “Prejudices can be eliminated, and a climate of mutual respect and trust can grow.”
Indonesia, which has the largest Muslim population in the world, has grappled with terrorism for decades.
It burned during the infamous bombings on holiday hotspot Bali in 2002 and suffered attacks on Jakarta hotels in 2009.
Islamic extremism is again attracting headlines across the globe.
Taylor Swift had to cancel shows in Vienna, Austria amid threats, while a frenzied knife attack in Solingen, Germany recently shocked Europe.
ISIS could make comeback, former CIA chief warns
THE West could face a repeat of 9/11 if leaders don’t act now to fight an ISIS resurgence, the former head of the CIA has warned.
Michael Morell, former director of the intelligence agency, believes the world feels the same now as it did before the devastating terror attacks of September 11, 2001.
Morell briefed President George Bush on the morning of 9/11 and stood with President Barack Obama 10 years later in the White House situation room as US forces killed Osama Bin Laden.
When asked if he fears the possibility another attack like the Twin Towers horror, Morell told The Sun: “Yes. Absolutely. 100 per cent.”
He said: “The feeling in the Bush White House and in the CIA after 9/11 is that we can never let this happen again.
“We need to do everything we can to protect America. We need to get back some of that feeling now to protect ourselves.”
The former CIA boss even warned that the UK could be at a greater risk than the US for a terror attack.
He told The Sun: “The threat to Europe and to your readers is even higher than it is in the US, even higher than what we say it is for the US.”
“They’ve already tried it in Western Europe. They’ve already done it in Russia,” he said, referring to the Crocus City Hall attack in March.