Nation Leaders Who Survived Assassination Attempts, Including Indonesia's First-Ever President Sukarno

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, was killed in a helicopter crash in a mountainous area near the Azerbaijan border, on Monday, May 20, 2024. Former Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, blamed the United States for being an indirect cause of the death.

Zarif told state television on Monday that the unilateral sanctions imposed by Washington on Tehran have badly affected Iran's civil aviation industry. Even if this accusation was an unproven one, assassination attempts against nation leaders often occurred throughout history. The following is a list of state leaders who survived assassination attempts:

1. Fidel Castro 

The exact number of assassination attempts on Cuban leader Fidel Castro is unknown. Fabian Escalante, Cuba's former Counter-Intelligence Chief, estimated over 638 assassination attempts against Castro, which he blamed on the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The US Senate Committees have substantiated eight attempts by the CIA. It is widely believed that the number is closer to 600 than 8 because of the CIA’s desire to get rid of Castro and put a new government in Cuba. Castro himself once said, “If surviving assassination attempts were an Olympic event, I would win the gold medal.”

2. Charles de Gaulle 

Former French President, Charles de Gaulle, is one of the most famous presidents in French history, not only because of his heroism but also because of his brazen attitude and inability to be killed. There were 31 recorded assassination attempts directed at de Gaulle. Many attribute de Gaulle's survival to his courage under fire and his uncanny ability to remain calm in any situation.

3. Adolf Hitler

As one of the cruelest state leaders in modern history, many people wanted Adolf Hitler dead prior to, during, and after World War II. There were dozens of attempts to overthrow him, many of which the dictator survived by sheer luck. Many within Germany knew of the dangers of the Nazi party and therefore the assassination attempts started all the way in 1921. In 1935, Henrich Grunow tried to assassinate Hitler by shooting into the back seat of Hitler's car as it passed by. Heinrich managed to shoot the person sitting in the back seat, but at that time Hitler was driving the car and it was his chauffeur in the backseat. 

4. Alexander Tsar II

During his reign as the Emperor of Russia, the King of Poland, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1855 to 1881, Tsar Alexander II survived five assassination attempts. He was targeted in 1866 after a series of reforms, including the emancipation of serfs in 1861. The first shooter to attempt killing him was Dmitry Karakozov, a 26-year-old revolutionary, who shot Alexander II on April 4, 1866. In response, Karakozov was executed the same year, and Alexander II also “adopted more conservative and repressive domestic policies.”

5. Sukarno

Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, survived numerous assassination attempts during his reign from 1949 to 1966. Dutch agents were responsible for many such attempts, but the CIA also considered assassinating the President. Sukarno's close relations with the Soviets at that time were one of the causes. 

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the CIA even went so far as to recruit someone to assassinate the first leader of Indonesia. However, Richard Bissell, Deputy Director of Plans of the CIA at that time, claimed that the plan “was never perfected to the point where it seemed feasible.”

REUTERS | ANTARA | HISTORY COLLECTION | GRUNGE

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