Osama Bin Laden plotted World Cup ‘98 terror attack killing David Beckham, Alan Shearer, David Seaman and Glenn Hoddle DURING Tunisia match
Suicide bomber was told to blow up England goalie before fellow jihadis posing as medical workers butchered the rest of the team and the manager
OSAMA BIN LADEN wanted to launch a terror attack during England's World Cup clash with Tunisia in 1998, it has been claimed.
The Al-Qaeda leader is said to have hatched a plot to send fanatics onto the pitch to slaughter David Beckham, Alan Shearer, David Seaman, Michael Owen and Glenn Hoddle.
A suicide bomber was allegedly directed to blow up England's goalkeeper during the match at Stade Velodrome in Marseille.
Fellow jihadis posing as medical workers would then have rushed onto the pitch and begun slaughtering the other players.
And they were told to throw grenades at the subs' bench where David Beckham and Michael Owen were sitting alongside manager Glenn Hoddle.
The audacious plot was outlined in Adam Robinson's book Terror on the Pitch, which is based on notes made by terrorist Ahmed Zaoui.
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Zaoui wrote: "The Sheikh [Bin Laden], may God bless him, asks that we observe the movements of David Seaman, Alan Shearer and Hoddle.
"Also, thanks be to God, his attention has been drawn to two younger players who are becoming well known, David Beckham and Michael Owen.
"We suggest that the point man for the mission should make his way to Seaman and blow himself up. This will be the signal for the other Brothers to start the rest of the operation."
By attacking Seaman using an explosive vest, the plotters allegedly hoped to cause a distraction allowing a second conspirator to bomb the England bench.
A third terrorist was supposed to shoot Shearer after the trio infiltrated the stadium as volunteers.
Current England manager Gareth Southgate was a part of the 1998 team who took on Tunisia amid hooliganism in Marseille.
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Shearer and Paul Scholes scored for the Three Lions, who won 2-0 in the group clash.
England successfully qualified after finishing second in the group to Romania but were beaten by Argentina on penalties in the last 16.
Southgate's current crop of players also beat Tunisia in last night's World Cup opener in Volgograd, 20 years after the previous meeting.