Authorities uncovered a terrorist plot to attack Pope Francis I.

On March 31, in an interview with the Italian daily Il Giornale, Dragan Lukac, Minister of Interior of the Republic of Srpska, a Serbian entity in Bosnia-Herzegovina, warned of the risk of a terrorist attack on Pope Francis I during his visit to Sarajevo on June 6.

Pope Francis I. (Source: AFP/VNA)

Lukac asserted that the security forces of the Republic of Srpska had obtained some information regarding a plot by Islamist extremists to attack the Pope during his visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina, a predominantly Muslim Balkan country. However, he maintained that the authorities were fully capable of ensuring the Pope's security during the visit.

According to Lukac, the main concern may come from Bosnian Islamist fighters battling in Iraq and Syria. He said: "We have the full names of 150 people, but the number could be higher, up to 350, including Bosnian Muslims currently in Western countries."

Lukac argued that the main danger came from Bosnian fighters in the Mudzahiri Ensarije group, part of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS), operating in Syria, who returned to their country before the Pope's visit and could pose security threats.

According to VNA