10 Failed Assassins in Prison Right NOW

10 Failed Assassins in Prison Right Now

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be looking at the most notorious individuals who tried and failed to assassinate prominent figures, only to be apprehended and end up in prison, where they remain to this day.

Kim Jin-sung

On January 2nd 2024, Lee Jae-myung, South Korea’s opposition leader, was at a press conference near a new airport construction site when he was approached by Kim Jin-sung. Kim pretended to ask for an autograph, but suddenly pulled out a knife and stabbed Lee in the neck. The 66-year-old real estate dealer, who was later found with an eight-page manifesto, had reportedly planned the attack months ahead, hoping to prevent Lee from ever becoming president. Fortunately, Lee survived his injuries. He was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery and was discharged eight days later. Meanwhile, Kim was arrested at the scene and ultimately sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Hadi Matar

For years, novelist Salman Rushdie lived in fear for his life after his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses” led to a fatwa being issued for his death. On August 12th 2022, that fear almost became reality. While delivering a public lecture in New York, Rushdie was attacked by 24-year-old Hadi Matar, who stabbed him multiple times. Despite sustaining severe injuries, including the loss of sight in one eye, Rushdie survived. Matar, who had expressed extremist views on social media and was carrying a fake driver’s license bearing the middle name of a slain Hezbollah leader, was arrested. He was charged with attempted murder in New York and later faced additional federal charges related to terrorism. If convicted, he could spend decades more in prison.

Roshonara Choudhry

British MP Stephen Timms narrowly escaped death on May 14th 2010 when he was stabbed twice during his constituency surgery at a library in Beckton, East London. The attacker, 21-year-old student Roshonara Choudhry, was arrested on the spot and quickly confessed her motives to the police. Choudhry admitted she carried out the attack as revenge for Timms voting for the Iraq War, having been influenced by the lectures of Anwar al-Awlaki, an Al-Qaeda leader who was later killed in a 2011 drone strike. Choudhry refused to attend her trial, stating that she rejected the court’s authority. Nevertheless, she was found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 15 years.

Fernando André Sabag Montiel

This assassination attempt, which was captured live on camera, left many around the world stunned. On September 1st 2022, a man approached Argentina’s vice president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, and pointed a gun at her face before pulling the trigger. Fortunately, the pistol failed to fire and the assailant, Fernando André Sabag Montiel, was quickly subdued and arrested. In the weeks prior, Sabag Montiel had publicly criticized Fernández de Kirchner in a televised interview and on social media, targeting her government policies and corruption charges. This attack appeared to be the culmination of those criticisms. Since then, Sabag Montiel has been held in an isolated jail cell and, as of August 2024, is still awaiting trial for attempted homicide.

Vladimir Arutyunian

In May 2005, U.S. President George W. Bush visited Georgia and delivered a speech at Liberty Square in central Tbilisi. While he spoke, Bush was unaware that an attempt on his life, and that of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, had derailed. Among the crowd was Vladimir Arutyunian, who had brought a hand grenade wrapped in a handkerchief which he threw towards the podium. However, the grenade landed about 60 feet away and failed to detonate. Arutyunian escaped from Liberty Square that day, but he was arrested two months later following a heated chase during which he killed an Interior Ministry agent. He was convicted of the attempted assassination of both presidents and the agent’s murder, resulting in a life sentence.

Richard Henry Bain

The 2012 Quebec general election ended with the Parti Québécois clinching a narrow victory and forming a minority government. That night, party leader Pauline Marois was giving her victory speech at the M Telus in Montreal when gunshots suddenly rang out. Richard Henry Bain had opened fire at the back of the building, killing one man and severely wounding another. His plan was to assassinate Marois, but his rifle jammed and he was unable to proceed into the building. Instead, he started a fire at the back entrance, but was quickly apprehended and the fire was extinguished. At trial, Bain pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but he was convicted of second-degree and attempted murder, and was sentenced to life.

Juraj Cintula

In April 2024, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico released a video statement to address the growing polarization in the country. He warned that the tense atmosphere could result in the assassination of “leading government politicians.” Just one month later, that warning almost came true. While greeting supporters outside the House of Culture in Handlová, Fico was shot five times at close range by 71-year-old Juraj Cintula. Cintula, a poet, writer and retired security guard, had long been critical of the government and grew increasingly disillusioned following the presidential election that April. His attempt to kill the prime minister ultimately failed, and he was charged with terrorism and attempted murder, which potentially carry a life sentence.

Jared Lee Loughner

Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Jared Lee Loughner had a history of mental illness and substance use disorder. According to those who knew him, Loughner had expressed sexist views and harbored a strong dislike for then-Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. On January 8th 2011, Loughner acted on these feelings, opening fire at a constituent meeting Giffords was holding. Although the Congresswoman survived with critical injuries, the attack claimed the lives of six people and left about a dozen others injured. Following his arrest, Loughner was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and initially found incompetent to stand trial. However, he underwent psychiatric treatment and was later deemed fit. Loughner ultimately pleaded guilty to 19 criminal counts and received a life sentence.

Kartal Demirağ

On June 18, 1988, just one year into his second term, Turkish Prime Minister Turgut Özal survived an attempt on his life. It occurred during a party congress when a man named Kartal Demirağ fired multiple shots at Özal, with one bullet narrowly missing his head and another hitting his finger. Demirağ was immediately apprehended and sentenced to life, but he served only four years before being pardoned and released on parole by Özal, who had since become president. Fast forward to 2008, Demirağ broke the conditions of his parole and was taken back into custody. He was then retried for the attempted assassination and convicted again of the crime, this time receiving a 20-year prison sentence.

Francisco Martin Duran

The year was 1994, halfway through Bill Clinton’s first term as President. Francisco Martin Duran, an Army veteran who was dishonorably discharged for intentionally hitting a woman with his car, had grown to hate the government. Fueled by this anger, he decided to assassinate the president. There was just one problem: he had no way of getting close to Clinton. So, on October 29th, Duran stood outside the White House grounds and fired at a group of men, believing Clinton was among them. He was not. At trial, Duran mounted an insanity defense, claiming he was trying to destroy an alien “mist” around the White House. The jury didn’t buy it. In less than five hours, they found him guilty, handing down a 40-year sentence.

Did we omit any other notorious failed assassins still in custody? Let us know in the comments below.