10 Assassination Conspiracies That Turned out to Be True

10-Assassination-Conspiracies-That-Turned-out-to-Be-True

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most infamous assassination plots, successful and failed, that were later discovered to have been conspired by groups of people.

Alexei Navalny

2020
Of all the domestic critics of Vladimir Putin’s government, political leader Alexei Navalny is arguably the most prominent. Few of his supporters were surprised when he became violently ill during a flight in August 2020. Doctors induced a coma and determined that Navalny had been poisoned by what was later identified as a nerve agent. The patient was soon evacuated to Germany, where he made a remarkable recovery. Immediately, suspicions arose that this was an assassination attempt by the Russian government. An international journalistic investigation later concluded that FSB operatives had indeed surveilled and poisoned Navalny, among other dissidents. Shortly after, Navalny returned to Russia and was promptly arrested. In February 2024, the Russian Penitentiary Service reported that he’d died in prison.

Iran Chain Murders

1988-98
By the end of the 1980s, Iran’s system had accrued many prominent dissidents. Among them was Health Minister Kazem Sami, who was murdered in what seemed like a random act of violence in 1988. Over the next decade, over 80 critics died in car accidents, robberies and other incidents. By the time an opposition party leader and four other people were murdered in a span of two months, the public demanded an investigation. 18 supposedly rogue intelligence agents were ultimately prosecuted for orchestrating these “chain killings” and assassination attempts. Subsequent journalistic inquiries implicated state officials, resulting in severe retaliation. Despite this, the revelations emboldened the reformist sentiments that the killings sought to curb. Even today, there are still controversial mysteries surrounding this 10-year operation.

Fred Hampton

1969
As deputy chairman of the Black Panther Party, Fred Hampton was a highly visible opponent of the American status quo. He was asleep in his apartment in 1969 when police engaged his security during a raid for illegal weapons. Hampton was injured in the crossfire, then shot twice in the head at point-blank range. Several legal inquiries attributed Hampton and Mark Clark’s deaths to the chaotic scene. However, accusations of deliberate murder were later supported by the exposure of COINTELPRO in 1971. This FBI operation, aimed at illegally undermining political movements, was particularly interested in the BPP. Through the years, overwhelming evidence has suggested that the real purpose of the raid was to assassinate Hampton. The organizations responsible have yet to formally admit this.

Operation Nemesis

1920-22
Truly, the Armenian Genocide was one of the most heinous conspiracies of the 20th century. Nearly two years after the massacre, former Azerbaijani prime minister Fatali Khan Khoyski was murdered. Several other political figures of the former Ottoman Empire would be killed over the next two years. Members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation eventually took credit for these slayings as retaliation against masterminds of the genocide. Interestingly, only a few of the targets had been formally charged with the crime. Named for the Greek goddess of retribution, Operation Nemesis continues to be scrutinized. Turkey and Azerbaijan, whose governments do not recognize the Armenian Genocide, condemn the campaign as terrorism. In Armenia, however, the conspirators are officially recognized as national heroes.

Alexander Litvinenko

2006
Disillusioned with what he termed Putin’s “mafia state,” Alexander Litvinenko, an organized crime specialist with the FSB, fled to the UK, where he later became a naturalized citizen. In his new home, Litvinenko continued to collaborate with British authorities to expose the Russian mafia and reveal government corruption. A few years later, Litvinenko was poisoned with radioactive material, which he succumbed to. Numerous conspiracy theories ensued as criminal investigations implicated multiple agents with the Russian government. The Litvinenko Justice Foundation spent years collecting hard evidence that they were acting on direct orders from the FSB. This incident ultimately deteriorated relations between the UK and Russia. In 2021, the European Court of Human Rights formally recognized the Russian government’s responsibility for Litvinenko’s murder.

Operation Condor

1968-89
The Cold War was an era of political upheaval throughout the world. Some of the most brutal upheaval came under the quietest influence by powerful states. Seven South American countries were particularly wrought by dictatorial uprisings and political assassinations through the 1970s and ‘80s. This escalated with the official initiation of Operation Condor in ‘75. As early as 1968, however, the US government began covertly assisting regime changes to strengthen relations with nearby nations and suppress left-wing movements. The systems this inspired in no way resembled the pro-democracy image of American diplomacy. Decades of declassification and investigation have linked tens of thousands of deaths, including assassinations, to the CIA. The end of these dictatorships would not be the end of US-backed terror.

Abraham Lincoln

1865
April 15, 1865, was one of the most shocking days in American history. Actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth snuck into Ford’s Theatre, and fatally shot President Abraham Lincoln. It turns out this murder went beyond a political gesture. After Booth’s death in pursuit, eight people were tried on suspicion of plotting the assassination. The immense trial revealed that George Atzerodt, David Herold and Lewis Powell attempted to simultaneously kill the Vice President and Secretary of State. They believed this would destabilize the Union enough to reignite the concluding Civil War. These men, alongside Mary Surratt, whose guilt is still in dispute, were convicted and executed for the ultimately failed plot. History now mostly remembers Booth’s tragically successful part.

Operation Wrath of God

1972-88
In 1972, the Palestinian militant group Black September kidnapped 11 Israeli participants in the Munich Olympics. None of them survived the crisis. Afterwards, suspected conspirators in Black September and the Palestine Liberation Organisation were killed around the world. Following the discovery of evidence in 1973 that indicated the innocence of one victim, an investigation uncovered Operation Wrath of God. Prime Minister Golda Meir personally sanctioned these Mossad-coordinated assassinations in response to the Munich massacre. The intelligence also led to Operation Spring of Youth, a bloody raid of PLO leaders’ homes in Lebanon (xref). These campaigns revealed the efficiency of Israeli intelligence, but simultaneously provoked retaliations and tarnished Israel’s political reputation. The full scope of Operation Wrath of God remains a mystery.

Franz Ferdinand

1914
On June 28, 1914, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was riding through Sarajevo when Gavrilo Princip shot him and his wife dead. It was a chance encounter, but not an entirely coincidental one. Princip was part of a six-man team that failed to hit Ferdinand’s motorcade earlier that day. Their weapons were later linked to the Serbian nationalist group, the Black Hand. The conspiracy might have involved even more parties. Their ultimate objective was to compromise Austro-Hungarian rule over Bosnia and inspire South Slavic unification. The assassination only escalated the empire’s conflicts with the regional authorities, especially as the Archduke was a staunch peace advocate. His death ultimately became the catalyst for World War I.

20 July Plot

1944
Of the over 40 assassination attempts made on the leader of the Nazi regime, the loftiest came from within. On July 20, 1944, a briefcase planted in Adolf Hitler's headquarters exploded, but only caused minor injuries to him as it was moved at the last moment. Thus ended years of planning by hundreds of people, mostly from the military. Their intention was to frame the Nazi Party for the bombing, then overthrow the government in Operation Valkyrie. The plot’s motivation, however, is still disputed. Some conspirators were disillusioned by the Third Reich's atrocities, while others merely sought to resolve World War II in Germany’s favor. Either way, their failed operation came closest to killing Hitler, before he did the deed himself nine months later.

What do you think of these and other proven conspiracies? Join the discussion in the comments.