On Sunday, April 26, another attempt was made to assassinate Donald Trump in the United States. While the American president was having dinner with members of the media, a 31-year-old armed man entered the room. He attempted to shoot the American leader because he allegedly believed him to be a “pedophile and rapist.” The man was detained and is currently giving a statement to the police. It is known that the terrorist intended to kill not only President Trump but also members of his administration.
Most of us believe that being the leader of a country is a tremendous privilege. Yes, these people often live the good life; they are members of the elite, have high salaries, access to the world’s best healthcare, security from special services, and so on. However, in reality, being head of state can sometimes be very dangerous. After all, world history is full of cases where leaders of various countries were literally killed “while performing their duties.”
To put it in perspective: in the United States alone, four out of 47 presidents have been assassinated. Ten (!) of them were the targets of assassination attempts, sometimes even multiple times. Today, we will look back at the most famous and high-profile assassinations of political leaders over the past 100 years. Read more in this UA.News article.
John F. Kennedy, President of the United States
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States, a symbol of the “new era,” and one of the most charismatic leaders of the 20th century. His presidency is remembered for the Cuban Missile Crisis, the start of the space race, and the fierce struggle for civil rights within the United States. Kennedy was a staunch Democrat, and his speeches always featured words such as “peace,” “friendship,” “development,” “future,” and so on.
However, his life was tragically cut short on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. As the presidential motorcade drove through the city streets, Kennedy was fatally wounded by a sniper’s shots while the American leader was greeting the crowd from an open limousine. The official investigation determined that the killer was Lee Harvey Oswald—a former soldier who acted alone and, most likely, suffered from mental health issues. However, the circumstances of this assassination remain shrouded in mystery, and numerous conspiracy theories—ranging from mafia involvement to interference by the CIA or the KGB—continue to circulate even in 2026.
Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan
Shinzo Abe went down in history as one of Japan’s most influential and famous prime ministers, having served a record two terms—nine years. He is remembered for his economic policies, known as “Abenomics,” and his active foreign policy. The tragedy occurred on July 8, 2022, while Abe was delivering a campaign speech in support of his party near Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara. A former member of the Japan Self-Defense Forces approached the politician from behind and shot him twice with a homemade shotgun. As the attacker later confessed, the motive for the murder was personal revenge—he believed Abe was responsible for his family’s financial problems. A psychiatric evaluation found the terrorist to be of sound mind, though it did note his psychological issues. Incidentally, Shinzo Abe became the third Japanese prime minister to be killed in the street.
Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran
Ali Khamenei was the head of state in the Islamic Republic of Iran; he has held the position of Supreme Leader (Rahbar) since 1989. Prior to that, he was one of the closest associates of the leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, and served as President of Iran from 1981 to 1989. It was while holding this office, on June 27, 1981, during a press conference in Tehran, that an assassination attempt was made on him: opponents of the new Islamic regime detonated a bomb hidden in a tape recorder. Khamenei survived but suffered severe injuries, as a result of which his right hand remained permanently paralyzed. And on February 28, 2026, on the very first day of the war between the United States and Israel against Iran, Ali Khamenei was killed by American bombs right in his residence.
Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden
Olof Palme was the leader of the Swedish Social Democrats and served twice as Prime Minister of Sweden (from 1969 to 1976 and from 1982 to 1986). He was known for his striking charisma and uncompromising stance on the Vietnam War, apartheid in South Africa, and the arms race. His assassination on February 28, 1986, came as a true shock to Sweden.
Late that evening, Palme was walking home from a movie theater in central Stockholm with his wife. Without security—the politician sincerely wanted to be closer to the people—an unknown man shot him in the back. Palme, 59, died at the scene. The murder investigation lasted for decades and was rife with conflicting theories and false accusations. It wasn’t until 2020 that the Swedish prosecutor’s office officially named the suspect, who turned out to be designer Stig Engström—he had struggled with alcoholism and had taken his own life back in 2000. Many questions in this case remain unanswered, and Swedish society still does not understand who killed their beloved prime minister.
Vazgen Sargsyan, Prime Minister of Armenia
Vazgen Sargsyan was a key figure in the military and political life of Armenia in the 1990s, also known as “Sparapet” (“commander-in-chief”) for his role in the Nagorno-Karabakh War. He assumed the office of prime minister in June 1999, but his life was tragically cut short just a few months later. On October 27, 1999, a group of armed terrorists led by journalist Nairi Unanyan stormed the Armenian Parliament’s chamber in the middle of a session and opened fire on those present. Eight people were killed in the attack, including Prime Minister Sargsyan, Speaker of Parliament Karen Demirchyan, and several other deputies and government officials. This attack was the greatest shock to Armenian statehood since independence.
Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt
Anwar Sadat, the third president of Egypt, is remembered by the world as a courageous peacemaker. He initiated the Yom Kippur War in 1973, but later radically revised his views and became the first Arab leader to visit Israel and sign a peace treaty with it at Camp David, for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize.
This move, however, provoked fury among radical Islamists. On October 6, 1981, during the annual military parade in Cairo, a group of conspirators led by Lieutenant Khaled al-Islambuli broke away from the column of military vehicles and opened fire on the government tribune, additionally throwing grenades at it. Sadat died on the spot from his injuries. This assassination exposed a deep divide in Egyptian society and had far-reaching consequences for the entire Middle East.
Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel
Yitzhak Rabin was a legendary military leader, Chief of Staff of the IDF during the Six-Day War, and later served twice as Prime Minister of Israel. His second term in office was marked by historic peace agreements with the Palestinians, for which he, along with Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat, received the Nobel Peace Prize. However, his policies provoked fierce opposition among Israel’s far-right. On November 4, 1995, after speaking at a rally in support of the peace process at Kings of Israel Square in Tel Aviv, Rabin was shot in the back by Jewish religious extremist Yigal Amir. The prime minister’s assassination was a profound national trauma for Israel and, according to many experts, dealt an irreparable blow to the peace process in the Middle East. The war there continues to this day.
Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India
Indira Gandhi, daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India, was the first and only woman to lead the Indian government. She was a powerful, often controversial figure who centralized power and pursued a hardline policy. In 1984, in an attempt to suppress the Sikh separatist movement in the state of Punjab, she ordered the military operation “Blue Star” at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, a site sacred to Sikhs, which resulted in numerous casualties. This sparked immense anger among the Sikh community. On October 31, 1984, revenge struck the prime minister in her own home: two of her Sikh bodyguards shot Indira Gandhi as she was heading to an interview. Her death triggered violent anti-Sikh pogroms across India.
Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of Pakistan
Benazir Bhutto was the first female leader of a Muslim country to serve twice as Prime Minister of Pakistan (from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996). She embodied hope for the country’s democratic future and was an ally of the West in the fight against terrorism. After years in exile, she returned to her homeland to participate in parliamentary elections. On December 27, 2007, immediately after concluding a campaign rally in Rawalpindi, a suicide bomber ran up to her vehicle, fired several shots, and then detonated a powerful explosive device. Bhutto died at the scene from her injuries. This assassination was not only a tragedy for Pakistan but also dashed hopes for stabilizing the situation in the region.
Muammar Gaddafi, Leader of Libya
Muammar Gaddafi was a highly controversial dictator of Libya who came to power following a military coup in 1969 and ruled the country for over 40 years. His regime was overthrown during the 2011 civil war, as part of the “Arab Spring.” On October
20, 2011, Gaddafi’s motorcade, which was attempting to flee the besieged city of Sirte, came under an airstrike by NATO forces. The wounded and demoralized colonel was captured by rebels. He was publicly humiliated for several hours (including being raped with an automatic rifle), and the brutal video of his execution was filmed and later seen by the entire world. This event became a symbol of the end of an entire era for Libya, plunging the country into chaos that continues to this day.
In summary, given the cases mentioned above, it is hard to say that being a national leader is a great gift. As practice shows, sometimes it looks like a terrible curse: a sniper’s bullet, a terrorist’s bomb, or an armed and embittered populace can be waiting for you at every turn. To prevent such things from happening, one must always remember the necessity of power rotation and step down from office in a timely manner. However, looking at democratic leaders such as John F. Kennedy or Olof Palme, we see that even this is not a 100% guarantee.
