20 People Who Survived the Most Assassination Attempts

Top-20-People-Who-Survived-the-Most-Assassination-Attempts

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the highest number of times high-profile figures managed to escape being bumped off in history.

#20: Alexander II of Russia

After Alexander II took control of Russia in 1855, he quickly initiated sweeping reforms across the country. This included abolishing serfdom, building a mass railway network, and restructuring the military. Alexander even famously sold Alaska to the U.S. in 1867. However, not everyone was happy about these changes. Revolutionaries and Polish nationalists attempted to cut Alexander’s life short on five occasions between 1866 and 1880. Notably, at the World’s Fair in 1867, Antoni Berezowski attempted to shoot the Tsar, only for his weapon to break and strike a horse. The sixth attempt on Alexander’s life would ultimately prove fatal. In 1881, members of the revolutionary group the Narodnaya Volya used explosives to assassinate him as he traveled in Saint Petersburg.

#19: Pervez Musharraf

Pervez Musharraf was the President of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Musharraf was seen as a controversial figure, having seized power through a military coup and aligned with the U.S. during their conflict with neighboring Afghanistan. Unsurprisingly, he made several enemies who tried to assassinate him over four times. In December of 2003 alone, there were two attempts on Musharraf’s life involving explosives. While the president managed to escape unharmed on both occasions, the second attack resulted in the loss of 16 other lives. Then, in 2007, an unknown group shot at Musharraf’s airplane as it departed the city of Rawalpindi. All of these attempts proved futile and in 2023, Musharraf passed away from natural causes.

#18: Danny Greene

Known as “The Irishman,” Danny Green was a former U.S. marine who grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and was an influential figure in the longshore workers’ labor union. He later became a notorious crime boss, forming his own gang called The Celtic Club and taking part in the Cleveland Mafia war. It is believed that Greene was involved in up to 80% of incendiary attacks in Cleveland over a 10-year period. As such, he became the target of at least four assassination attempts, including a devastating explosion that destroyed a whole floor in his home. However, his luck ran out in 1977 when an explosive placed in an adjacent car went off, fatally injuring him.

#17: Vladimir Lenin

Vladimir Lenin was one of the key figures of the Russian Revolution, which changed the landscape of the country forever. As a result, he was seen as a hero by many and an adversary by others. Lenin’s influence and high-profile status made him the target of around five assassination attempts, the most infamous of which occurred in 1918. After speaking at a factory in Moscow, Lenin headed towards his car. Fanny Kaplan, a member of the Socialist Revolutionary Party, then fired at him, striking the leader twice and inflicting severe injuries. Kaplan was swiftly arrested and executed for her deed. Although Lenin survived the attack, it is believed that it contributed to his declining health and eventual passing in 1924.

#16: Bill Clinton

While he’s most notorious for his affair in office, President Bill Clinton is also one of America’s most targeted politicians. There have been at least six attempts on his life, four of which occurred in 1994. That January, Ronald Barbour threatened to take out Clinton as he jogged. Later in September, Frank Corder crashed a small plane onto the White House lawn, losing his life in the process. The following month, Francisco Duran mistakenly shot at a group of people at the White House, believing Clinton was among them. He landed himself a 40-year prison sentence. Finally, Clinton was a target for Ramzi Yousef, who orchestrated the 1993 World Trade Center attack. However, Yousef abandoned his plan due to the president’s robust security.

#15: Grigori Rasputin

According to popular legend, one of the most difficult people to take out was Russia’s Grigori Rasputin. Known as “The Mad Monk,” his first brush with death seemingly took place in 1914. While leaving his home, Rasputin was stabbed in the abdomen by Khioniya Guseva. He managed to knock her out, and she was institutionalized. Then, in 1916, Rasputin was killed by three nobles: Felix Yusupov, Dmitri Pavlovich and Vladimir Purishkevich. However, the story goes that he put up a fight before eventually going down. Rasputin reportedly withstood being poisoned with cyanide and shot multiple times before being wrapped in a cloth and thrown into the Malaya Nevka River, where some believe he met his end.

#14: Sukarno

In 1945, Sukarno made history as the first president of Indonesia after leading the country to independence from the Netherlands. However, his growing relationship with the USSR raised concerns for the CIA, which opposed communist nations. As such, they backed actions against him, including a coup attempt and assassination plots. It’s believed there were at least six attempts made on Sukarno’s life. In 1957, while visiting a school in Central Jakarta, the militia group Darul Islam used grenades to try and take out Sukarno. He survived the attack but sadly, six children died. Another infamous attempt came in 1960 when Air Force pilot Daniel Maukar used a plane to fire at Sukarno’s residences. Yet, the president wasn’t harmed.

#13: Rajiv Gandhi

In 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her bodyguards in response to Operation Blue Star, a military operation to remove Sihk separatists from the holy Golden Temple. This incident resulted in her son, Rajiv Gandhi, assuming leadership, which also made him a target. Between 1985 and 1991, there were nine attempts on his life. In 1987, one such attack was filmed when sailor Vijitha Rohana struck Gandhi with his rifle as he inspected the Guard of Honour at the house of the Sri Lankan President. Tragically, in 1991, time ran out for Gandhi. He was assassinated alongside 14 others by a member of the separatist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who was wearing an explosive device.

#12: Yasser Arafat

As a prominent figure in Palestinian politics, Yasser Arafat was beloved by many but despised by others. By some estimates, Arafat survived at least 13 assassination attempts. There was reportedly a plan by Israeli forces to shoot down a passenger plane in 1982, believing he was on board. It was scrapped after they realized it was his lookalike brother on the plane, alongside some injured Palestinian youngsters. In 1996, another attempt was foiled after Palestine officials discovered a plot by Hamas to attack Arafat with weapons and explosives. Due to the constant threats, Arafat stated he never spent more than one night in the same room. Although official records attribute his 2004 death to a stroke, some still believe that Arafat was poisoned.

#11: Muammar Gaddafi

After leading a coup in 1969, Muammar Gaddafi took control of Libya and ruled the country for over four decades as a dictator. Throughout that time, he made many enemies, especially in the West. In 1986, the U.S., believing that Gaddafi was involved in a Berlin attack, launched a military campaign that targeted his compound with explosives. While he survived, many did not. Also, former UK security officer David Shayler claimed that in 1996, MI6 botched an attempt to assassinate Gaddafi by placing an explosive under the wrong car, resulting in several casualties. In 2011, a NATO air strike took the life of one of Gaddafi’s sons but yet again, he evaded death. Gaddafi was eventually killed months later by rebel forces.

#10: Vladimir Putin

Due to his divisive nature, especially in recent times, Vladimir Putin has become a prime assassination target. To date, it’s believed Putin has survived six attempts on his life. The first known incident was in 2002 when an Iraqi man planning to attack the leader in Azerbaijan was arrested. Following his decision to invade Ukraine, two more attempts were made. In 2022, Ukrainian official Kyrylo Budanov disclosed an unsuccessful attack on Putin that was made in the Caucasus region. Then in 2023, two drones were shot down near the Kremlin, which Russia claimed were sent by Ukraine to kill Putin. These incidents seem to have made Putin so paranoid that he’s allegedly been using a body double in public.

#9: Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru became India’s first Prime Minister after the country gained its independence from Britain in 1947. Despite being widely loved, Nehru was a target for extremists, and this threat became heightened after his fellow activist, Mahatma Gandhi, was assassinated. Altogether, Nehru is believed to have survived six attempts on his life. In 1955, it was reported that a knife-wielding man jumped on the Prime Minister’s car. Interestingly, he played down the incident in the press, calling the weapon “very small.” That same year, there was also an alleged plot by the CIA to take him out. The final attempt came in 1961 when a device exploded in Delhi shortly after Nehru passed by. While he was unhurt, five people sustained injuries.

#8: Barack Obama

With at least seven known incidents, it appears no other U.S. president has had as many assassination attempts as Barack Obama. In November 2011, Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez fired several shots at the White House, hoping to hit the president, who was fortunately not present. No injuries or fatalities resulted from the incident and Ortega-Hernandez received a 25-year prison sentence. Then, in 2013, Glenn Scott Crawford, who had ties to the KKK, and Eric J. Feight hatched a bizarre plot involving a “death ray” to target several individuals, including Obama. Their plan to use this radiation device was foiled, and Crawford was sentenced to 30 years in prison while Feight got eight years and one month.

#7: Queen Victoria

Throughout her long reign, Queen Victoria, one of the most influential British monarchs in history, was nearly killed on eight occasions. The majority happened the same way; a man with a firearm attacked as Victoria was in her carriage. The first attempt occurred in 1840 as Victoria, four months pregnant with her first child, rode with her husband, Prince Albert. Edward Oxford stepped forward and fired two pistols, missing the target. Oxford was subdued and committed to an asylum. In 1850, Robert Pate, a former Army officer who was known for his odd behavior, struck the Queen on the head with his cane. He was quickly apprehended and confined to the penal colony in Tasmania, Australia.

#6: Hussein of Jordan

In his early years, Hussein, the future monarch of Jordan, had a close relationship with his grandfather, King Abdullah I. In 1951, while Hussein accompanied Abdullah for prayers, Mustafa Shukri Ashu, a Palestinian extremist, opened fire at the pair. King Abdullah was fatally hit, but Hussein miraculously survived after the bullet struck a medal given to him by his grandfather. Throughout his reign as King, which ended with his passing in 1999, Hussein is said to have survived around 12 attempts on his life. These plots ranged from the typical armed rebel schemes to more sinister ones like replacing his nose drops with acid. Another plan to poison Hussein was discovered after several deceased cats were found in the palace.

#5: Josip Broz Tito

In 1948, then Prime Minister and later President of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito, was fed up with the attempts on his life by his former World War II ally, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Tito issued a stern letter to Stalin, demanding he stop sending killers otherwise, “I’ll send one to Moscow, and I won’t have to send a second.” Yikes. Reportedly, Stalin kept this letter in his office until his death in 1953. But it didn’t stop him or others from trying to take out Tito, who allegedly survived 22 assassination attempts! There’s even speculation that Stalin didn’t perish from natural causes but due to poisoning, as Tito may have followed through on his chilling promise.

#4: Charles de Gaulle

Not every failed assassination gets turned into a best-selling novel and an Oscar-nominated movie. But not everyone was like Charles de Gaulle. After fighting for France in World War II and leading resistance movements, de Gaulle later became Prime Minister and then President. However, by ending colonial rule in Algeria, he drew the ire of the extremist group Organisation armée secrète. On August 22nd 1962, an ambush organized by Colonel Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry peppered de Gaulle’s motorcade with bullets. Although two guards reportedly perished, the President and his wife were miraculously okay. Bastien-Thiry was executed for his involvement, and other conspirators were sentenced to life in prison. In addition to this, it’s believed de Gaulle survived at least 30 assassination attempts.

#3: Adolf Hitler

While the Allied forces had ambitions to snuff out the Führer of Germany, Adolf Hitler also had internal threats on his life. Historians have, so far, uncovered evidence of at least 42 plans to assassinate him. In many of these, luck played a big part in Hitler’s survival. In 1943, German officer Rudolf-Christoph von Gersdorff planned to detonate timed explosives as he hugged Hitler after showing him captured weaponry. However, with the timers set to ten minutes, Hitler finished quickly, leaving von Gersdorff to quietly defuse the device in a bathroom. Similarly, the infamous 20 July plot by Claus von Stauffenberg failed when the explosive briefcase he placed beside Hitler was moved before it detonated.

#2: Zog I of Albania

With around 600 blood feuds, King Zog I of Albania had a lot of enemies looking to knock him off. After all, he reportedly survived over 55 assassination attempts! Zog began his career in the military and later rose to power as Prime Minister, then President, and finally King in 1928. One notable attempt occurred in 1924 when he was shot twice by Beqir Valteri as he entered parliament. The future monarch reportedly continued working as if nothing happened. Another daring incident happened in 1931. Zog and his entourage were shot at the opera in Vienna, Austria. While the King was fine, a guard was killed, and a minister was wounded. It is said that Zog fearlessly fired back at the retreating assailants.

#1: Fidel Castro

Few people have danced with death as much as Cuba’s Fidel Castro. There were allegedly 638 plans to take the revolutionary out, many of which were orchestrated by the CIA. Some of these plots were cartoonish. Two involved tainting Castro’s beloved cigars with an explosive agent or a toxin. Another featured booby-trapping a seashell that would be painted to entice the scuba diving enthusiast. One plan even seemed straight out of a James Bond movie, involving a poison administered through a pen. At one point, the CIA lazily considered throwing leaflets throughout Cuba, offering a reward to take out Castro. Ultimately, the man who said he would’ve won gold if surviving assassinations were an Olympic event passed away in 2016 at age 90.


Which fictional assassination attempt left the biggest impact on you? Let us know below!