Advertise in this spot on CatholicCulture.org. View all ads.

Catholic World News News Feature

Behind the Assassination Attempt in Sarajevo April 15, 1997

Just a few hours before Pope John Paul arrived in Sarajevo, security officials removed 23 land mines from a bridge on the route the Pope would be taking from the airport into the city. Initial reports from the official Bosnian news agency Onasa suggested that the mines were leftovers from the years of fighting in the former Yugoslavian province. But the facts suggest a much more ominous explanation.

At a press conference hurriedly convened by the police of Bosnia- Herzegovina, one security official revealed that the mines had apparently been planted sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning. The papal route had been swept for mines on Friday, and the bridge had passed the test. Theoretically, the route which the Pope would take was under guard during the night. But somehow, a series of powerful mines was deployed.

The mines in question were sophisticated Italian-made devices, designed to destroy an armored vehicle such as a tank. Placed under a bridge they would have another deadly effect: if a vehicle survived the initial blast, the collapse of the bridge would plunge it into the ravine below. And by planting multiple mines under the bridge in Sarajevo, the bombers had evidently plotted an ambush which would destroy several different vehicles in a convoy--thereby enhancing their prospects of for a successful "kill" on the car which was carrying the Pope.

The sort of mines which were discovered in Sarajevo--state-of-the- art devices, which could be triggered by remote control--are not readily available to individuals. To collect 23 such devices, and to deploy them in the course of a single night, would require substantial funding, intelligence, and military expertise. And since the bridge to be mined was supposedly being guarded, the people responsible for planting those mines must have been either very skillful, or very confident that the police would not interfere. In either case, the evidence points toward a highly organized, powerful organization rather than an isolated individual.

Since thousands of security officers were involved in the effort to protect the Holy Father during his trip to Sarajevo, the discovery of the land mines was a severe jolt, implying a major flaw in the security system. UN spokesman Aleksandar Ivanko admitted, "We are very upset by the fact that the mines were discovered almost by chance."

Early in the morning of the Pope's arrival, reporters heard rumors that several new groups of anti-sniper squads had been dispatched to Sarajevo, to join the troops already in place there. (The Pope's caravan took him past the area once known as Sniper's Alley.) And even after John Paul left the city, security officials discovered another set of land mines--fortunately unexploded--on a road which had been heavily traveled by pilgrims coming to greet the Holy Father.

More than 11,500 soldiers and police officers were involved in the effort to provide security for the papal visit. There were armored vehicles ready for any emergency, and several helicopters constantly hovering overhead in the area.

On a lighter note, posters announcing the Pope's arrival had been systematically torn down in Sarajevo in the weeks preceding the visit. But just before John Paul arrived, new posters were put up, and the police officers on duty throughout the city ensured that the new posters remained on display. One young Muslim was arrested for his "especially aggressive behavior" in tearing the new posters down from buildings.