Throughout history, several leaders have been assassinated due to political and personal reasons. Most leaders were killed over their political stance, while some were due to personal rivalry.
Shinzo Abe (July 8, 2022)
Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan, died on July 8 after a 41-year-old man opened fire on him.
He succumbed to bullet injuries. Earlier, he was shot while campaigning in the Nara region for the upcoming parliamentary election.
According to reports, a man came to the venue and opened fire at the prime minister from behind.
Following the shooting, the 67-year-old fell unconscious and was rushed to the hospital.
Abraham Lincoln (April 14, 1865)
On the evening of April 14, 1865, while attending a special performance of the comedy, "Our American Cousin," President Abraham Lincoln was shot.
The assassin, John Wilkes Booth, dropped the pistol and waved a dagger.
Rathbone lunged at him, and though slashed in the arm, forced the killer to the railing.
Booth leapt from the balcony and caught the spur of his left boot on a flag draped over the rail, and broke a bone in his leg on landing.
Though injured, he rushed out the back door and disappeared into the night on horseback.
Mahatma Gandhi (January 30, 1948)
Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948, near Birla House.
Gandhi breathed his last at the Birla House where he used to conduct multi-faith prayer meetings.
The iconic leader was walking toward the dais when Nathuram Vinayak Godse came from the crowd and fired three bullets on the 78-year-old.
Gandhi, who fell, was later taken to the Birla House. He was declared dead moments later.
John F Kennedy (November 22, 1963)
The former president of the United States, John F Kennedy, was assassinated as he rode in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963.
Kennedy was on a campaign trail when bullets struck him on his neck and head.
The president slumped over to his wife who was seated next to him. He was immediately rushed to the Parkland Memorial Hospital following the shooting and was declared dead after about 30 minutes of the shooting.
Martin Luther King Jr (April 4, 1968)
The pioneer of the American civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr, was fatally shot in Tennessee on April 4, 1968.
The leader was shot by James Earl Ray when he was standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel.
MLK was shot around 6:00pm after which he was rushed to St Joseph’s Hospital where he died at 7:05 PM.
Indira Gandhi (October 31, 1984)
The former prime minister of India, Indira Gandhi, was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh on October 31, 1984.
The killing took place as a consequence of Operation Blue Star, a military operation carried out between June 1 and 8 of the same year to oust Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his patrons from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab.
The assassins opened fire at Gandhi when she was on her way to be interviewed by British actor Peter Ustinov who was filming a documentary.
While Beant fired three rounds, Satwant fired 30 rounds after the prime minister fell to the ground.
Olof Palme (February 28, 1986)
The former prime minister of Sweden, Olof Palme, was fatally shot on February 28, 1986.
The prime minister was walking home with his wife Lisbeth Palme on Central Stockholm Street when he was shot.
The couple was walking without bodyguards in the city’s busiest streets when the PM was shot.
The identity of the shooter was shrouded in mystery for years and spurned out into several conspiracy theories following the assassination.
Rajiv Gandhi (May 21, 1991)
India’s former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was killed in a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991.
The bombing was carried out by Thenmozhi Rajaratnam, a member of the Sri Lankan Tamil separatist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and Dr Jagjit Singh Chohan of the National Council of Khalistan.
Benazir Bhutto (December 27, 2007)
The former prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated while she was campaigning for the elections in January 2008.
On December 27, 2007, when Butto was attending a rally at the Liaqat National Bagh, shots were fired at her and a suicide bomb was detonated at the venue.
Bhutto died of gunshots, while 23 succumbed to the suicide bombing that took place at the venue.
