“The first attack by an al Qaeda operative on European soil actually took place as early as November 1991, when a Portuguese Muslim convert, Paulo Jose de Almeida Santos, attempted to assassinate the former King of Afghanistan, Muhammad Zahir Shah, in Rome. Santos had trained in al Qaeda’s camps in Afghanistan and had three meetings with Osama bin Laden to plan the attack before he set off. He posed as a journalist to gain access to the king, who was planning to return to Afghanistan and who might have undermined the position of the Taliban and mujahedin.” [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.]
– Abdel Bari Atwan, The Secret History of al Qaeda, Page 264