Lightning Appears To Strike St. Peter's Basilica Hours After Pope Benedict XVI Announces Resignation (PHOTO, VIDEO)

Was it just Mother Nature or a sign from God?

Lightning appeared to strike St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on Monday just hours after Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, according to the BBC. The lightning strike happened around 6 p.m. local time.

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Global news agency Agence France-Presse was the first to publish the startling photo of a lightning bolt coming out of the heavens and appearing to strike the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, one of Catholicism's holiest sites.

AFP photographer Filippo Monteforte caught the amazing photograph on Monday evening during a storm. "It was icy cold and the rain was falling in sheets," he told AFP. "When the storm started, I thought that lightning might strike the rod, so I decided it was worth seeing whether – if it DID strike – I could get the shot at exactly the right moment.”

He waited two hours before lightning struck twice and he captured a still image. “The first bolt was huge and lit up the sky, but unfortunately I missed it," he told AFP. "I had better luck the second time, and was able to snap a couple of images of the dome illuminated by the bolt.”

Some questioned the authenticity of Monteforte's photograph.

But Fairfax Media photographer Nick Moir told Australia's The Age via The Sydney Morning Herald that the image looks legitimate. "It's probably not that rare for St Peter's to get hit," he told the publication. "The bolt is hitting a lightning rod to the side of the cross, it seems."

On Monday, Benedict announced he will resign from the papal office on Feb. 28 due to health concerns. He is the first pope to do so in nearly 600 years.

PHOTO:

Lightning strikes St Peter's dome at the Vatican on February 11, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI announced today he will resign as leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics on February 28 because his age prevented him from carrying out his duties -- an unprecedented move in the modern history of the Catholic Church. (Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

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Six men held over plot to attack Pope are released without charge

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Six men held by counter-terrorism police probing an alleged plot to attack the Pope have all been released without charge, Scotland Yard said today.

The men, all believed to be of North African origin, were arrested on Friday in London.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'Six men who were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 on Friday, September 17, were all released without charge late on Saturday night and early this morning.'

Investigation: Five of the men were arrested at the Veolia depot in central London. All six have now been released without charge

Police searched eight homes in north and east London and two business premises in central London, including a street cleaning depot as part of the investigation.

The Metropolitan Police said the searches of the premises had been completed and had not revealed any weapons or suspicious materials.

The men are believed to have been overheard by a colleague as they shared a joke in their canteen.

The Sunday Mirror reported that one of them said: 'It would be pretty difficult to shoot the Pope, wouldn't it, as his car is bulletproof?'

Another replied: 'Yeah, but I bet an RPG would get through that easily enough.'

A police source told the newspaper: 'When we received the information it was decided that we needed to get the men in and see if there was a real terrorist plot.

'It wasn't something that we could have taken a chance with, given that the Pope was in the country that day and the men had access to the Pope's route

'If somebody on a plane jokes that they have a bomb the authorities take it extremely seriously and this was a similar situation.'

Security: The Westminster road where the depot is located was cordoned off after the police raid

The arrested men were aged 26, 27, 29, 36, 40 and 50.

One of the men, a 29-year-old, was arrested a home in north London on Friday afternoon.

The other five, believed to be street cleaners, were arrested at gunpoint as armed officers swooped on their base as they prepared to start their shift on Friday morning.

They work for Veolia Environmental Services, a contractor which employs 650 on-street staff to keep the streets of Westminster clean.

A huge security and public order operation swung into action as the Pope arrived in Britain.

Thousands of officers are involved in the operation from forces including the Met, Strathclyde, Lothian and Borders, West Midlands and British Transport Police.

The cost of policing the Pope's visit will exceed £1.5 million and is being co-ordinated by South Yorkshire Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes.

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BREAKING NEWS: U.K. cops: 5 arrested over plot targeting pope

Maximum security: Major operation to protect the Pope

BREAKING NEWS

Suspects detained 'on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism'

The arrests were made at 0545 BST at addresses in London after counter-terrorism officers received intelligence of a potential threat.

The five men have been taken to a central London police station.

Officers are continuing searches at premises connected to the raids. The men are not British nationals.

Earlier, the Pope attended an assembly of children at a Catholic college in west London.

In a statement from Scotland Yard, the Metropolitan Police said that the five men had been arrested in an operation launched by officers from the force's Counter-Terrorism Command.

The five were arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Ongoing search

The five men are 26, 27, 36, 40 and 50 years old. They were arrested in an armed operation at business premises where searches are continuing.

Residential premises in north and east London are also being searched. Officers have not found any hazardous items.

It is not clear whether the investigations relate to a plot against the Pope himself or an element of the visit.

In the statement, the force said: "Today's arrests were made after police received information following initial inquiries by detectives. A decision was made to arrest the five men.

"Following today's arrests policing arrangements for the papal visit were reviewed and we are satisfied our current policing plan remains appropriate. The itinerary has not changed. There is no change to the UK threat level."

Policing bill

The UK's top police officers from England and Scotland spent months planning the security arrangements for Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the UK.

Those plans included threat assessments, standard arrangements covering the safe transport of significant public figures and the potential need to control crowds during the visit's major events.

In all, the policing bill for the visit is expected to top £1m.

Reacting to the development, Father Frederico Lombardi, the Pope's press spokesman, said the Vatican was "totally confident" in Scotland Yard and the ability of its officers.

The papal team had no direct information about the police operation. The Pope remained calm and had been welcomed warmly everywhere he had gone, he said.

"The police have already said that the information demonstrated that there is no need to change the programme," he said.

The BBC's Emily Buchanan, who was with the Pope at his visit to an assembly of children at a Catholic college in west London, described the security around the Pope as "extremely high... with no lapses"

Considering the London's 7/7 and America's 9/11 false flag attacks, we must wonder if this is, yet, another attempt to advance the ever increasing police state designed to label activists and protesters as domestic terrorists.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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