Becoming a political leader sounds like a plan until you realize that grave danger lurks over their heads every second of their lives. Numerous world leaders have been the subjects of assassination attempts over the years. Many have survived because of sheer luck and circumstance, while many others have tragically succumbed.
What remains common is the trauma and fear instilled in the public every time something like this happens. If our leaders aren’t safe with all the security and resources, what about us? It is obvious that these situations don’t have a positive or helpful impact on anyone.
Surely this hasn’t happened recently, though? Some people might think it’s not that big of an occurrence nowadays with all the development and advancement. This is unfortunately not true. These incidents are still very common. For example, Donald Trump was targeted during his 2024 election campaign just recently. Let’s talk about it.
Donald Trump
Source: Pixabay.com. Link
During one of his rally speeches for the upcoming elections in the US, Donald Trump was interrupted when someone started firing multiple shots at the former American President. The last time something like this had happened was way back in the 80s when someone had tried to assassinate Ronald Reagan.
This happened in the small city of Butler, which is some 20 miles north of Pittsburgh. Trump had reportedly just started talking about immigration when the shooting started. The assailant fired three shots first and then five. Fortunately, the attempt was a failure and Trump is safe. Unfortunately for 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was identified as the shooter, he was shot dead by the Secret Service Officials after they discovered his hiding position.
The motive behind this attempt is a mystery now. But a certain video is making rounds on the internet: Trump is pumping his fist in the air with his face streaked with blood and the crowd around him is chanting ‘USA’.
Robert Fico
Pic Source: Link
A few days before the assassination attempt on Trump, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, was also attacked. He took the time to draw parallels between the attempts made on him and Trump. He also mentioned how the whole attack on Trump was ‘scripted like through a copybook’.
Fico had been severely wounded because of a shooting in May and survived the attack. The suspect arrested by the police is a 71-year-old member of the official Association of Slovak Writers. Doesn’t sound like an assassin, does he? Hehe.
Imran Khan
Pic Source: Link
In November 2022, the former Prime Minister Imran Khan was shot during one of his rallies. This happened in the Wazirabad district of the Punjab province. He was shot in the leg and some supporters were also harmed. Although the attacker was immediately caught, no one took responsibility for the attack. The attacker wasn’t identified at all!
While the minister and opposition in Pakistan had their speculations about why this happened, the real reason why the perpetrator did this remains a mystery.
Volodymyr Zelensky
Pic Source: Link
Ever since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine War, the Ukrainian President has survived multiple assassination attempts made on him by the opposing faction. This information came in response to speculations made by foreign delegates concerning the quantity of these attacks. The presidential aide Mikhail Podolyak mentioned how their ‘foreign partners were talking about two or three attempts’ when in reality there had been a dozen.
BBC reported in April 2024 that another man was arrested in Poland because of another alleged Russian plot which involved killing Zelensky. The arrest was made by Ukrainian Intelligence, and this is just one of the many attempts made on the president. Unfortunately, Zelensky might go through more of these as the tension between the countries increases.
Fumio Kishida
Picture Source: Link
Voted and sworn in as the prime minister of Japan in 2021, Fumio Kishida was another Japanese Prime Minister who had been attacked with the intention to kill. While former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe succumbed to the enemy’s attack, Fumio Kishida thankfully survived his.
On 15 April 2023 in the Kansai region of Japan, a bomb exploded where Kishida had arrived to give a campaign speech. Somebody had thrown a pipe bomb near the prime minister as soon as he got ready to start. Kishida evacuated as soon as the bomb was thrown and hence was saved. But a bomb is a bomb. Someone will get affected. There were two victims who got severely injured because of this bombing.
The impact of such attempts is diverse. While it undoubtedly causes distress and panic, it also has a profound effect on political history and theory. It creates new waves in the history of political thought. It can even flip popular verdicts! And like every other political drama, it comes at the cost of the public’s safety and peace.
Resources
Donald Trump
- Herb J. & Dakin Andone. (2024, July 15). How the assassination attempt on Trump unfolded. CNN; CNN. Link
- The Assassination Attempt Against Donald Trump. (2024). The New York Times. Link
- Rathore B. (2024, July 15). Donald Trump assassination attempt: what does it mean for the US elections? Hindustan Times; Hindustan Times. Link
- HT News Desk. (2024, July 15). Donald Trump assassination attempt: Minute-by-minute timeline of shooting by Thomas Matthew Crooks. Hindustan Times; Hindustan Times. Link
Robert Fico
- Natália Silenská. (2024, July 15). Fico compares Trump’s shooting to his own assassination attempt. Www.euractiv.com; EURACTIV. Link
- Mason Letteau Stallings & Mason Letteau Stallings. (2024, July 15). Fico: Assassination Attempt On Trump “Scripted Like Through A Copybook.” The American Conservative. Link
- English. (2024, May 15). NDTV. Link
Imran Khan
- TOI Lifestyle Desk. (2024, July 14). 7 most famous assassination attempts on world leaders recently. The Times of India; Times Of India. Link
- Livemint. (2022, November 3). Former Pak PM Imran Khan shot in leg at Wazirabad rally in ’assassination’ bid rushed to hospital | Video. Mint; mint. Link
Volodymyr Zelensky
- Teh C. (2022, March 10). Volodymyr Zelenskyy has survived “more than a dozen” assassination attempts by Russian agents says presidential aide. Business Insider India. Link
- Vock I. (2024, April 18). Man arrested in Poland over alleged Russia plot to kill Zelensky. BBC News. Link
Fumio Kishida
