Italian justice and European intelligence services investigate whether There was really an Islamic State plan to attempt against Pope Francis in Trieste. The information came to light after the Italian newspaper Il piccolo He would reveal that a Turkish cell would have tried to act during the visit of the Pontiff in July 2024.
The finding of an abandoned suitcase in a bar of the Trieste Central Station would have been the first indication of the theory. Inside was an automatic gun, a charger and 14 cartridges. For researchers, the package was ready to be collected by another person. That finding, just A day before the arrival of the Popehe raised immediate suspicions.
From there, a investigation began that involved the Trieste Prosecutor’s Office, Interpol and Security Forces of several European countries. The focus ended in a Turkish citizen arrested in Holland and then extradited to Italy. However, the story took an unexpected turn: the Italian police itself ensures that there is no firm evidence that the Pope has been at risk.
Attack against Pope Francis: who is the only one arrested
The man under the magnifying glass is Hasan Uzun, 46. He was arrested in Holland and transferred to Coroneo prison, in Trieste, where he remains in isolation. According to the investigation, was captured by security cameras Leaving the suitcase at the station and walked by the place before taking a train to Milan.
In parallel, he bought a telephone card with cash and destroyed the previous one, a movement that for the researchers showed a intention to erase traces. From Milan, he went to Switzerland, but was rejected on the border for irregularities in his documentation. The cameras too They registered a companion with Celeste shirt, whose identity could not yet be established.
The initial positions against Uzun are for “Conspiracy to carry and have a common weapon”but the prosecution tries to determine if it was part of a Network linked to the Islamic State. His lawyer, Lucrezia Chermaz, insists that the accusation lacks concrete evidence and that the judicial process is in a preliminary stage.
Italian police dismiss the attempt at the attack
In the last hours, the Trieste Police Headquarters issued a statement that reduces the tension: “No proof of hostile or homicidal plans was found against the Holy Father”. According to the authorities, Uzun would be more related to common criminal environments than with international terrorist cells.
While some Italian media argue that there was a plot with links in Türkiye, local researchers say there is no evidence of an organized plan. The case, for now, seems to move in a gray terrain: A mixture of suspicions, signs and a detainee whose responsibility is not yet clear.
The episode exposed the fragility that surrounds papal trips, where logistics and security are always under maximum attention. The investigation is still open and remains to know if it was a large -scale frustrated plan or a dangerous coincidence.
Source: Ambito
