London: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, al-Qaida terrorist chief and one of the senior most Lieutenants of Osama bin Laden, twice plotted to assassinate the Pope in the Philippines.

Thirty-eight-year-old Mohammed, who carries a $ 25 million reward on his head, travelled twice to the Philippines to oversee the execution of the plans using either bombs or a high-powered sniper's rifle, media reports said on November 10.

The first plot to kill Pope Paul II failed when one of the bombs made by his co- conspirator Ramzi Yousef exploded prematurely in his Manila apartment.

Yousef, Mohammed's nephew, was forced to flee but was subsequently tracked to Pakistan where he was arrested before being extradited for trial in America for his part in the bombing of the World Trade Centre in 1993. He was convicted and is serving life.

Mohammed evaded capture but returned to the Philippines four years later, months before the Pope was due to visit Manila for a canonisation.

Although the Pope's visit was called off, the documents suggest that Mohammed planned a second attempt, 'The Sunday Times' reported.

According to the documents, Mohammed might be in Pakistan but warns that "he may attempt to leave the country to elude arrest as well as conduct terrorist activities".

The report comes in the wake of a claim by Ronald Noble, the Interpol chief in Paris, that bin Laden was still alive and that al-Qaida was planning a large-scale terrorist attack.

PTI