Trieste denies rumored assassination attempt on Pope Francis

Interpol arrested a Turkish suspect in Holland, in connection with a gun found in Trieste on the day before the Pope arrived in the city. However, according to Italian police, the investigation into the suspect — who was described in the local press as having ties to ISIS — has not revealed any connection to the pontiff. Rather, the focus is now on “criminal networks unrelated to terrorism.”

The prefecture acknowledged that it opened an investigation after the automatic pistol was found at Trieste train station on July 6, 2024, the day before the Pope's arrival. However, it questions the information published by the daily newspaper Il Piccolo, which claimed that investigators were still leaning towards a “possible plot to assassinate the pontiff.”

The suspect, Hasan Uzun, was deported from Holland to Italy, where Italian police questioned him. “No evidence of hostile or homicidal intentions towards the Holy Father has been found,” the Italian authorities said afterwards.

The prefecture said it had worked in collaboration with foreign police services, on an international letter of request, to proceed with his arrest. The evidence gathered during the investigation, which is still ongoing, suggests that the Turkish suspect is linked to criminal networks, not terrorist ones.

According to Italian Catholic news outlet Avvenire, the charges against Uzun in Italy “relate to the illegal carrying and possession of weapons in conjunction with others.”

On July 7, 2024, the pontiff flew in briefly by helicopter from Rome to close an event organized by the Italian Bishops' Conference.

According to Avvenire, Pope Francis was aware that the weapon had been found and that it was unclear at that point if there was a threat to his life. The bishop of Trieste, Enrico Trevisi, told the publication:

However, Bishop Trevisi said, the Pope shrugged off the threat and proceeded with the visit, apparently unconcerned. He celebrated Mass in Piazza Unità d'Italia before returning to the Vatican.