Pope Francis revealed he survived a double suicide bombing attempt during his historic 2021 Iraq visit after British intelligence and Iraqi police foiled the plots, according to reporting by The Guardian.

In his forthcoming autobiography "Spera" (Hope), excerpts of which were shared with Corriere della Sera on Tuesday, the 88-year-old pontiff detailed how the assassination attempts were prevented during his landmark trip.

Despite strong warnings against traveling to Iraq in March 2021 due to raging COVID-19 cases and severe security risks, particularly in the northern city of Mosul, Francis proceeded with what would become the first papal visit to the country. British intelligence alerted Iraqi police about the planned attacks immediately after Francis landed in Baghdad, with Iraqi authorities subsequently informing Vatican security.

One would-be attacker was identified as a woman planning to detonate explosives during the papal visit to Mosul. "A truck was also heading there fast with the same intention," Francis wrote in the autobiography, co-authored with Italian writer Carlo Musso and set for January publication.

When Francis later inquired about the bombers' fate, he received a terse response from security. "The commander replied laconically: 'They're no longer here.' Iraqi police had intercepted them and made them explode. This struck me as well: Even this is the poisonous fruit of war."

The pontiff completed his three-day tour of six Iraqi cities, describing himself as "a pilgrim of peace." The visit came after thousands of Christians in northern Iraq were killed under Islamic State control between 2014 and 2017, with hundreds of thousands more fleeing violence and persecution.

Speaking amid the ruins of a Mosul church, Francis called on the country's diminishing Christian population to forgive past injustices and focus on rebuilding.

The visit saw the deployment of 10,000 Iraqi police officers, with curfews enacted to control the COVID-19 spread.

While initially planned for posthumous release, the autobiography will now be released on December 24, the beginning of Jubilee 2025, a 25-year Catholic celebration of faith renewal. Publisher Mondadori notes that this marks the first papal autobiography, though Francis has authored other memoir-style works.

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According to reporting by The Globe and Mail, Canadian law enforcement authorities recently foiled an Iranian plot to assassinate Irwin Cotler, a prominent human rights advocate and outspoken critic of Tehran's leadership.

Authorities identified two suspects in the assassination plot, though their current status, whether arrested or fled, remains unclear. Cotler was informed on Thursday that the threat level against him had been significantly reduced.

The Jewish 84-year-old has been under 24/7 Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) protection for over a year following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) informed him he was a high-profile target of Iran. His security detail includes bulletproof vehicles, heavily armed officers and additional protective measures.

Since 2008, he has spearheaded a global campaign to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. He has also represented Iranian political prisoners and strongly supports Israel. In June, following opposition party pressure, Canada joined the United States in declaring the IRGC a banned terrorist group. Ottawa cut diplomatic relations with Iran over a decade ago. Cotler served as Canada's first special envoy on Holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism from 2020 to 2023. He currently chairs the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights internationally.

Today marks 6 months since the black sabbath of October 7th. 1200 brutally murdered, 250 taken hostage,& grave acts of torture & mass sexual violence by Hamas.

134 hostages remain in captivity. Freeing the hostages is standalone humanitarian issue, moral duty, & legal obligation pic.twitter.com/3ysPHrd7l1

— Irwin Cotler (@IrwinCotler) April 7, 2024

 The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has also contacted Cotler regarding an unsealed New York indictment involving an Iranian murder-for-hire operation, the source said. While not named in the indictment, the FBI indicated to Cotler that his name emerged during their investigation.

On Oct. 22, the US Justice Department charged senior IRGC official Ruhollah Bazghandi in connection with a 2022 plot to kill American human-rights activist Masih Alinejad, allegedly using Eastern European criminal organizations in New York. "That is happening more and more with intelligence services using criminals to do work for them, and it gives them plausible deniability," said Alan Treddenick, a former CSIS station chief in Saudi Arabia.

Earlier this month, the US Justice Department charged Farhad Shakeri, described as an Iranian government operative previously imprisoned in America for robbery, in an alleged IRGC-ordered plot to kill Donald Trump and Alinejad. Shakeri remains at large in Iran. Two other men face charges for allegedly being recruited by Shakeri to surveil and kill Alinejad.

Daniel Stanton, former CSIS senior manager and current director of the national-security program at the University of Ottawa Professional Development Institute, who recently hosted Alinejad, said Iran targets high-profile critics like Cotler and Alinejad as a warning to others.

"Regimes like Iran and also India want to hit the most high-profile, outspoken critics and dissidents because that sends a message to the people who don't have that status to basically shut up," Stanton said. "A lot of these intelligence agencies find it difficult to operate in countries like Canada and the United States, so they have to hire unscrupulous proxies to carry out the dirty work and that is easy to detect."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei called the allegations a "repulsive" plot by Israel and Iranian dissidents to "complicate matters between America and Iran."

US authorities say the IRGC's elite Quds Force has historically targeted critics and recently began outsourcing assassination plots to organized crime groups and violent criminals. Iran's Quds Force operates as a clandestine wing of the IRGC, responsible for foreign operations, including arming Hezbollah and Hamas and conducting assassinations.

Victims of Oct 7 sexual violence deserve recognition, justice & accountability- not gaslighting, silence, and denial.
This is not a political issue; it's about human rights.
Our Chair, @JayRosenzweig & Dr. @CochavElkayam call for truth & justice in this @Jerusalem_Post op-ed https://t.co/1i1yw0Wj9P

— Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights (@TheRWCHR) November 15, 2024

 Cotler, a renowned international human-rights lawyer, has criticized many authoritarian governments, including Iran, for its role in the 2020 downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, which killed about 55 Canadians and 30 permanent residents, as well as Tehran's funding of Hamas.

He warned that authoritarian regimes are waging a war against Western countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and many of those in Europe "through three primary methods – electoral interference, transnational repression, and the spreading of harmful disinformation."

In 2015, Cotler founded the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, a Montreal-based organization dedicated to promoting human rights, advocating for political prisoners, and combatting injustice around the world. The group works in memory of Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who saved 100,000 Jews during the Second World War by issuing them diplomatic passports and sheltering them in safe houses.

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United States federal authorities have arrested Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old Hawaii resident, in Florida on suspicion of plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump. Routh, an entrepreneur in the affordable housing sector, had previously voiced criticism of Trump on social media platforms while demonstrating passionate support for Ukraine. The arrest has triggered a comprehensive FBI investigation, including international inquiries into Routh's online activities and travel history.

Video: How will attempted assassination impact upcoming elections?

The Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism analyzed Routh's social media presence, concluding that he was once a Trump supporter who became disenchanted and shifted his allegiance to Libertarian candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

While never explicitly advocating violence against Trump, Routh called for the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin. His online activity revealed efforts to recruit foreign fighters for Ukraine and Taiwan, with one video showing him discussing this need while in Ukraine.

We know little so far, but w alleged Trump shooter's personal and public participation in military activity in Ukraine, it is hard to imagine this White House's agencies can claim zero contact—"clean hands." Something of an Oswald vibe, here. Congress should get answers. pic.twitter.com/lDD1TLsLVf

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 15, 2024

Regarding Israel, on several occasions, Routh posted maps of Israel and questioned whether Jews actually lived there in ancient times and whether "it wasn't all Palestine." Public records reveal a history of legal troubles, including a 2002 arrest in North Carolina and cases dating back to the 1990s involving tax evasion charges and civil lawsuits resulting in substantial payouts.

On social media, Routh criticized Trump while supporting President Joe Biden. He commented on the July assassination attempt on Trump, urging Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to visit the injured. The FBI has expanded its investigation internationally, seeking warrants for Routh's social media accounts on foreign platforms and examining his travel claims.

Authorities have not identified potential co-conspirators, if there were any, and the investigation remains ongoing.

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A computer-generated 3D visualization circulating on social media has provided a startling new perspective on the recent assassination attempt against former United States President Donald Trump, Sky News Australia reported Wednesday.

The footage, created by social media account Point Consciousness, offers a bird's-eye view of the July 13 incident at Trump's Pennsylvania rally, revealing just how close the former president came to losing his life.

Incredible illustration. Also easy to forget that Trump narrowly escaped death multiple times in a few split seconds. It wasn't just one shot that came close to hitting him.

pic.twitter.com/uM3DM77DpQ

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) July 16, 2024

The graphic depicts the bullet passing perilously close to Trump's ear, apparently avoiding impact due to a last-second movement of his head. The visualization also illustrates the bullet's potential trajectory had Trump not made this crucial movement.

The image has since gone viral, with many viewers describing Trump's survival as miraculous or attributing it to divine intervention.

This revelation comes on the heels of Trump's first public appearance since the attempt on his life. At the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where he was officially named the party's presidential nominee, Trump was greeted with enthusiastic support from the audience. "USA" and "We love Trump" chants filled the convention hall as the former president took the stage. Trump appeared visibly emotional, with a bandage covering his injured ear.

In addition to surviving the assassination attempt, Trump has experienced a series of favorable legal developments. A Florida judge dismissed the classified documents case against him, while a recent presidential immunity ruling may prevent him from being sentenced in the hush money case.

These developments are seen by some political analysts as potentially significant boosts to his re-election chances in November, yet according to a recent Reuters survey, they have not changed the balance of power in the race for the White House.

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According to an Axios report, an unnamed senior House Democrat stated, "We've all resigned ourselves to a second Trump presidency."

The exchange comes in the wake of an assassination attempt on Trump's life, which has prompted both Democrats and Republicans to largely signal an effort to strike a unified tone. The attempt on Trump's life has significantly impacted the political landscape, with both parties reassessing their strategies and public messaging.

In response to the incident, the Biden campaign has paused political activity, even suspending political advertising for the time being. In his speech following the attack, Biden called to "lower the temperature in our politics." The Democratic party says they are now focusing more on their staff's safety than President Biden's standing as the party's presidential nominee.

In America, we resolve our differences at the ballot box.

Not with bullets.

— President Biden (@POTUS) July 15, 2024

In a post on the social platform X, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) wrote, "If you're a 'senior Democrat' that feels this way, you should absolutely retire and make space for true leadership that refuses to resign themselves to fascism." She further criticized the anonymous stance: "This kind of leadership is functionally useless to the American people. Retire."

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A gunman opened fire at a rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, injuring the ex-president before being fatally shot by law enforcement, according to footage obtained by TMZ.

TMZ reports that video footage shows the gunman, described as having longer brown hair and wearing a grey shirt and khaki pants, lying on his stomach on the rooftop and aiming through what appeared to be a scope or iron sights. Witnesses can be heard panicking as the first shots ring out.

#BREAKING: TMZ has acquired footage showing Thomas Matthew Crooks firing at Trump and then being killed by the secret service. pic.twitter.com/uYplTkeTDe

— Censored Men (@CensoredMen) July 14, 2024

Michael Difrischia, who captured the video, told TMZ that he and his wife Amber were watching the rally from outside the main grounds with 30 to 40 other people when Amber noticed the man climbing onto a nearby building. Difrischia said the gunman "shimmied up, then army crawled to his final position on the roof, all with a rifle in hand."

According to Difrischia, bystanders attempted to alert authorities about the gunman's presence, but he was still able to fire shots before being taken down by return fire. An eyewitness interviewed by the BBC corroborated Difrischia's account, stating that people had noticed the gunman and tried to raise the alarm, but "for some reason, he was able to get shots off on the ex-Prez before finally being taken out."

Meanwhile, an anonymous X user managed to deceive some of the world's largest media outlets by impersonating the assassin who shot at the former president. His account on X had previously been used for politically-oriented pranks. The account name translates to "foreskin," and the username roughly means "watching Jews," both indicators of antisemitic views.

The user posted a video claiming to be the assassin and expressing hatred for Trump and all Republicans. The user capitalized on his physical resemblance to images circulated online of the eliminated attacker. Several major news sites, including the New York Post, published the video and the man's image, whose real name is unknown.

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The Jewish world reacted Saturday to the attempted assassination of former US President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to X, saying, My wife "Sara and I were shocked by the apparent attack on President Trump. We pray for his safety and speedy recovery."

Video: Sniper fires at Trump shooter/Credit: X

Similarly, President Isaac Herzog tweeted, "On behalf of all the Israeli people, I wish former President Donald Trump a speedy recovery, and condemn utterly and unequivocally the attempt on his life. From Jerusalem we wish him well. Our thoughts are with all those injured, and the family of the spectator killed."

Tagging the president, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee tweeted, "Praying for a quick recovery for @realDonaldTrump, and grateful for the courage of the Secret Service officers who risked their lives to protect him."

The Republican Jewish Coalition condemned the incident, saying, "The attempted assassination of President Donald Trump is an abomination. Violence has absolutely no place in our politics. RJC thanks the Secret Service, law enforcement, and medical personnel for their swift response. We pray for refuah shlema – a complete recovery and healing – for President Trump. We know President Trump will return stronger and more determined than ever to Make America Great Again."

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