A terrorist group planned to assassinate Pope John Paul II with rockets during his weekend visit to Lebanon, two newspapers reported Tuesday.
The reports by An-Nahar and Ad-Diyar said the would-be attackers acquired 23 anti-aircraft rockets and hoped to use them against the pope's plane or helicopters.The papers attributed their stories to unidentified official sources who said they received information from Interpol.
Lebanese security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed they received an Interpol report on a possible attack but added the report did not say the assault was imminent. The sources stressed the pope was never in danger. They said rockets the would-be attackers hoped to smuggle into Lebanon never arrived in the country.
The pope arrived Saturday and for 32 hours kept a hectic schedule of meetings and ceremonies. On Sunday, he celebrated a Mass in Beirut that was attended by an estimated 500,000 people.