Recently declassified FBI records reveal a hitherto unknown assassination plot against Queen Elizabeth during her visit to the United States in 1983. The plan involved bombing the royal yacht Britannia as it sailed under San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.
The sensational disclosure was made public with the recent unsealing of a hundred classified FBI documents pertaining to the late British monarch, who passed away on September 8 at the age of 96.
According to the declassified files, an individual, driven by a desire for retribution following his daughter's murder in Northern Ireland, had hatched the plan to launch "an object" from the Golden Gate Bridge to collide with the Britannia.
The plot was successfully thwarted just the night before Queen Elizabeth's scheduled arrival. The timely intervention came from a police officer who had been present at an Irish pub where he overheard another patron discussing the murderous intentions.
According to the incriminating document, “This man additionally claimed he was going to attempt to harm Queen Elizabeth and would do this either by dropping some object off the Golden Gate Bridge onto the royal yacht Britannia or would attempt to kill Queen Elizabeth when she visited Yosemite National Park."
These unsealed documents provide an eerie glimpse into the behind-the-scenes efforts by law enforcement to ensure the safety of Queen Elizabeth during her foreign visits. The constant vigilance and readiness to respond to threats against her was a major task, as evidenced by these records.
One such document highlighted the challenges law enforcement faced in predicting and preventing potential threats against the Queen and then-President Ronald Reagan, stating, “It will be very hard to anticipate and prevent incidents” aimed at harming or embarrassing these high-profile figures.
This revelation underscores the constant threat faced by global leaders and the hidden efforts by security agencies to counteract them. It further illuminates the precarious balance between public appearances and security in the realm of international diplomacy.