Terror Plot To Kill Pope Francis Involved South Jersey Man, Authorities Say [UPDATED]

A Lindenwold man admitted that he participated in a terrorist plot to assassinate Pope Francis when he was in Philadelphia in 2015, federal authorities announced Monday evening.

Santos Colon Jr., 17, pleaded guilty as an adult before U.S District Court Judge Noel L. Hillman in Camden federal court to an information charging him with one count of attempting to provide material support to terrorists.

Colon admits he provided material support to terrorists in a plot that would’ve used a sniper to shoot Francis during his Papal Mass, and setting off explosives in the surrounding areas, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court.

Colon participated in the plot between June 30 and Aug. 14, 2015, ahead of Francis’s visit to the region that September. He was working with an undercover FBI agent who was posing as the would-be sniper.

He told the undercover agent to buy materials to make the bombs. FBI agents arrested Colon in 2015.
Colon faces a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. No date has been set for sentencing.

Colon was inspired by ISIS, according to ABC News. A source told the network the threat was never imminent, and that there are questions about Colon's mental health.

Colon is a U.S. citizen, according to nj.com. As part of the plea deal, authorities have agreed not to pursue further charges against him attempting to provide support to ISIS and attempting to obtain a weapon of mass destruction.

The teen, also known as Ahmad Shakoor, was originally charged as a juvenile, and his parents attended the plea hearing, according to the Courier Post.