10 World Leaders Targeted and Killed While in Office

These infamous assassinations shocked the world. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down world leaders in history who were assassinated while in office or holding power, so this excludes some significant figures like Franz Ferdinand. Our countdown of world leaders who were assassinated while in power includes Yitzhak Rabin, Julius Caesar, John F. Kennedy, and more! Are there other important leaders who should be included here? Let us know in the comments.
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#Assassinated
#Assassin
#History
#WorldLeader
#President
#PrimeMinister
#Killed
#Shocking
#Infamous

[@WatchMojo]

Are there other important leaders who should be included here? Let us know in the comments. For more true crime, click here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6iTqGOOp6-Sh7c Don't forget to play our Live Trivia (www.watchmojo.com/play) games at 3pm EST for a chance to win cash! The faster you answer, the more points you get!

[@chadleyburgess6940]

Can't we get a top 10 best football players

[@vishalkalicharan7710]

Please do Top 10 Games Yet To Receive An Adaptation (God or War, Bioshock, Strider, Fire Emblem, etc.)!!

[@358itachi]

Although Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi is a great tragedy from a national and global perspective, he was not in office at the time. India didn't even had an elected government. But we have had two assassinations our leaders Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984 by her own bodyguards in he official residence and her son Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991 by a suicide bomber.

[@thenishant8888]

Well Rajiv Gandhi when assassinated was also not holding any post, he was PM till 1989 only, after that VP Singh and Chandrashekar became PM Rajiv was assassinated during election campaigns of 1991.

[@ARIXANDRE]

Though not in power, I was surprised that it's already been 2 years since Shinzo Abe's assassination. In Japan, it's not remembered due to Abe's link to the church that ultimately led to his death.

[@kieronparr3403]

Which church?

[@jacobdrolet4262]

Amazing video watch mojo,fantastic job.

[@Beth_Alice_Kaplan]

I was in high school when Olof Palme was assassinated. I knew next to nothing about Nordic politics, let alone that of Sweden. But I can’t forget the international shock his murder caused, nor the fact it remains unsolved. Although I have read many believe it was a hit carried out by South African government due to his strong opposition to apartheid.

[@user-hd3rw9vr9f]

"Peace and civil rights for all" Fundamentalists: 💀💀💀💀

[@johnf1235]

Moise from Haiti is probably most recent (not sure though)

[@G1Grimlock94]

The world is falling apart

[@Taka-Kevz]

Hell is actually here on Earth.

[@carmelmhennessy9738]

Interesting. Thank you

[@warriorsfan19]

Benazir Bhutto would’ve been a formidable candidate for this list.

[@maddestmike5791]

Why can't Putin be on this list? -_-

[@DoctorX101]

You are now on his list. до свидания

[@MuddieRain]

😂🤡

[@joermnyc]

And the leaders in Iran, and Kim Jong ill… Xi in China. They all bring too much evil to this world.

[@Richardsonprincess00]

Didn't count, he's alive and well.

[@joermnyc]

@@Richardsonprincess00 he’s insulated himself from harm… at least he believes he has.

[@ReynaReactsandReviews]

background music gives me chills

[@multiyapples]

Most these leaders wanted to improve their countries.

[@brookelynnenewcomer943]

Almost all of them were in 1900s

[@jaredbingham9018]

Wonder why

[@GabrielAlarcon99986]

Hey watchmojo please make a top 10 with the last Mimzy movie please

[@mrkdavis22]

it's like you gotta be a semi tyrant to not be assassinated in general

[@marcoeugenio1021]

Don't forget Ngo Dinh Diem.

[@KGBSpyGeorgeCostanza]

R.I.P Salvador Allende

[@AnthonyJohnson-jp3ht]

Aliens are probably somewhere laughing at us right now.

[@gedhoughton9523]

You forgot Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso as an honourable mention. He was a socialist, had many education reforms, medical reforms and the country was on a path to building a great country.

[@MuddieRain]

CIA has left the chat

[@gospelpopsoulman]

#10 @ 0:32 Park Chung-Hee #9 @ 1:37 William McKinley #8 @ 2:42 Anwar Sadat #7 @ 3:52 Yitzhak Rabin #6 @ 4:54 Olof Palme #5 @ 6:03 Laurent-Dèsirè Kabila #4 @ 7:05 Julius Caesar #3 @ 8:12 John F. Kennedy #2 @ 9:15 Gandhi #1 @ 10:41 Abraham Lincoln

[@Jeremiah_Rivers76]

There has never been a more famous presidential assassination than Abraham Lincoln.

[@CrystalRose333]

Idk man Kennedys assassination was just as famous. Dare I say even more...

[@DoctorX101]

@@CrystalRose333 Though Lincoln's was probably more consequential.

[@FuckedUpGenius]

To be honest, JFK's assassination is more well known in other regions around the world.

[@DoctorX101]

@@FuckedUpGenius Agreed, and it is a "fun" subject. Okay, maybe "fun" is the wrong word, but it is an odd example of how reactive people were. As the video notes, the secret service was not a serious thing until after McKinley. That was after two presidents were assassinated. Back in Lincoln's day, you could just go to the White House and try to see him. That is depicted in the eponymous movie. So now, the idea of the Secret Service NOT securing buildings on the route is madness. It was not then. Just like protecting candidates was not a thing until his brother was killed.

[@jbizzle8491]

Yeah there has, JFK. Abraham Lincoln's assassination was pretty black and white. JFK's still has been solved after all the commissions and reports. Still the reports are still redacted regardless of what the law says about being transparent after 50+ years.

[@marcalexfleury9112]

Salvador Allede was forgotten...😢

[@jjww30]

Note: don’t ever win the Nobel Peace Prize

[@jimbo9208]

why

[@jjww30]

@@jimbo9208 half these leaders had just won before being assassinated.

[@gzenko3408]

Don't tell me what to do

[@WillPorterMusic]

Do KZbin’s guidelines not let you say ASSASSINATE?

[@MrZionsun]

what about Thomas Sankara??

[@keremels]

What a shame you didn’t include Ninoy Aquino.

[@arthuurlijk5200]

Wlliam of oranje

[@jacquielvins2413]

B.Bhuto.

[@madmac4185]

All historic tragedies most certainly :- (

[@jorgeadairramos7469]

Hello good nights 😢😢😮😮😮😮

[@DavidMelissaHope]

Lee Harvey and his magic bullet.....smh

[@DannyTheBarGod]

No Dr King or Malcolm X? 🤔

[@adamhoward1408]

Top 10 best and worst reaction youtubers

[@gzenko3408]

Worst: all of them Best: penguinz0

[@jaymo8206]

Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy. Both in 1968.

[@joermnyc]

Bobby was running for President, he wasn’t in power. Dr. King never ran for public office.

[@Sj430]

It happened 2 months apart.

[@joermnyc]

@@Sj430 Yes, RFK’s speech the night after MLK’s murder is said to have calmed down the situation in the city he was in, many other cities had riots. RFK was well read, and an excellent speaker. It’s a real shame his life was cut so short.(same for MLK)

[@josephtravis1032]

What scene at 7:58 is from?

[@MuddieRain]

HBO Rome

[@__toad]

does watchmojo know something we don't

[@jimbo9208]

what are you talking about

[@gzenko3408]

They know everything you don't

[@reggiefurlow1]

Back then the Dr was more dangerous

[@paulkowald4057]

The forgot Shinzo Abe

[@TheFreeAgent2024]

Technically, Abe was a former world leader at the time of his assassination

[@circleancopan7748]

This list is sitting leaders, not former leaders.

[@JuntaWithLustrationsOnTanks]

Mohammad Najibulla killed by talibs, Muhammed Daud and Hafizulla Amin, Yasir Arafat died by polonium, Tomas Sankara killed by his friend, Samuel Dow, Somoza Debayle died by rocket launcher, France-Ferdinand

[@ilikecarsandtacos]

From another vid

[@JimboShogun0686]

Shinzo wasn't Prime Minister at the time he was assassinated

[@user-ih1bm9me5u]

This The Murder President😮

[@rezagorgin5707]

in the ancient days almost all the leaders/kings would be killed in some way this list should have been about "modern" leaders. and i expected King Faisal of Saudi Arabia to be here !

[@gzenko3408]

After knowing what we know about Ghandi now, I'm not too sad about him making the list

[@BrianLamar-es3my]

You mean he was struck down by two unknowns assailants while Oswald's bullet only wounded Kennedy jaga Hoover and Jack Ruby and a few others roped in Oswalt Lee Harvey Oswald became the Fall Guy when he was about to tell what happened Jack Ruby got the order to silence Lee Harvey Oswald permanently the order came from the other than the head of the FBI j Edgar Hoover

[@DoctorX101]

Yeah, no.

[@BrianLamar-es3my]

@@DoctorX101 it true how can someone squeeze off three shots from a rifle that hasn't been fired since world war II

[@DoctorX101]

@@BrianLamar-es3my It was actually fired about two weeks prior at the general who started the John Birch Society - look that one up! They think Washington was a communist! - and the bullet just grazed the wood of the window sill. Otherwise, Oswald would have killed him. They have not only repeated the timing, they have repeated the "magic bullet" with the bullet eventually landing in the governor's thigh. Thank Nobel Prize winning physicist Louis Alverez and his son for explaining, long ago, why through-and-through head shots cause the head to move TOWARDS the gun. Penn & Teller did a show on this like 30 years ago. I wish I could remember the documentary that basically explained that the problem with the JFK assassination is that it does not seem to "balance": on the one side you have a President and on the other you have a narcissistic sociopathic loser. It does not "make sense." Oddly enough, Booth was sort of a similar figure: other than being a famous actor before Tik Tok, he was a virulent racist pissed off that the slaves were free. He thought his assassination would cause the South to "rise again" or something. Stupid. The Garfield assassin was even worse: a certifiable whack-job like everyone's Uncle Earl - we all have one - who declared himself responsible for Garfield's victory, then got butt-hurt that no one paid attention to him and gave him a lucrative job. Heck, you had "Squeaky" Fromme try to kill Gerald Ford. A guy who thought he could impress Jody Foster tried to, and nearly did, kill Reagan. Had either been successful, we would have an industry on Ford and Reagan assassination theories - particularly Reagan since HIS VICE-PRESIDENT RAN THE CIA!1!!!!!1!! [! - Ed.]

[@Potterholic1]

No, LBJ ordered the assassination so he could become President, like he always wanted.

[@Puli67]

wheres rajiv ghandi

[@JimboShogun0686]

Ghandi's daughter Indria was also assassinated as Prime Minister

[@DoctorX101]

Was not his daughter. She was related to Nehru. They took the "Gandhi" name for political purposes.

[@JimboShogun0686]

@DoctorX101 okay thanks for correcting me I just remembered Indria Ghandi was assassinated as Prime Minister

[@DoctorX101]

@@JimboShogun0686 No problem! 😁

[@venkatVadisetti]

😂

[@jessemccann1390]

Left out Golda Meir.

[@York22]

She wasn’t assassinated

[@reedspace8267]

Today, India has moved towards a more Hindu nationalist direction, gradually turning authoritarian and becoming the nation *Nathuram Godse* wanted.

[@venkatVadisetti]

Or do you think we want to be like pakistan?

[@MarcusTaylor-yr9pv]

Well, I mean Gandhi was a collaborator with the apartheid government. So....

[@sylviesaurusrex6132]

And a raging racist!

[@rosario508]

What office did Gandhi hold?

[@jimbo9208]

did you not watch the video

[@rosario508]

@@jimbo9208yes I did. What’s your point?

[@Beth_Alice_Kaplan]

The list said world leaders, not just politicians.

[@rosario508]

“…..killed while IN OFFICE”. Sorry but I think watchmojo broke away from the theme of the list by including him

[@jimbo9208]

@@rosario508 that point is why ask a stupid question if you watched the video

[@rahuldas8733]

Where the Hell is INDIRA GANDHI the PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA WHO WAS KILLED BY HER OWN BODYGUARDS???? FYI, MK Gandhi was not the LEADER OF INDIA WHEN HE WAS KILLED!!! GET YOUR FACTS CHECKED BEFORE POSTING ANYTHING ONLINE...

[@GrimR3ap3r86]

Since when has facts mattered to WatchMojo?

[@sadistich0rr0r99]

Please add Biden.

[@LaTaurusHarrison]

Y'all still lying in Lee Oswald?

[@jimbo9208]

explaine

[@furkanbozdag8198]

Stop spamming ​@@jimbo9208

[@The_Dudester]

What did Lyndon B Johnson do when the shots were fired that killed President Kennedy? (sticks his fingers in his ears and squints)

[@LongLiveTheLionKing2]

Johnson was 2 cars behind Kennedy in the motorcade and realistically couldn't do anything as the secret service most likely redirected his car in case there were more shots.

[@The_Dudester]

@@LongLiveTheLionKing2 1) I was being facetious. 2) LBJ was on the floor of his limo as it turned into Dealey Plaza "Looking for a lost pen."

[@Potterholic1]

LBJ was the responsible party for the Kennedy assassination. Think about it. He's the only person who benefits from Kennedy's death.

[@invariant47]

indira gandhi

[@snoosificationsnobs98]

Can you stop saying “the whole world”?! The rest of the world or the whole world wasn’t always shocked about things not on their continent. People have/had their own problems and problems in other countries weren’t/aren’t theirs nor were/are interested for them.

[@truechristian3663]

FREE PALESTINE

[@SiNKarnage]

First

[@CandiceVidito]

It is irrelevant. You don't get anything for it

[@jonathanfitzgerald5826]

Oh come on

[@Reaperguy67]

It doesn't make you special and you don't get anything for it. Also it's obvious that you like your own comment.

[@Reaperguy67]

​@@jonathanfitzgerald5826 sorry it's true about those comment numbers. They mean nothing

[@Cinezillaaa]

So who cares?

[@hasnogood6012]

Don’t care didn’t ask

[@gabomaita2923]

what a clown

[@CandiceVidito]

Then why are you here?

[@prisonmike3605]

Do you feel like a big man posting such a useless comment?

[@Cinezillaaa]

OK troll

[@Cinezillaaa]

​@@CandiceViditoit might be a troll

[@alvinwhite94]

What about James A Garfield?

[@Shojo-SkipSchmandy_the_Hottie]

Abraham, Martin and John

[@furkanbozdag8198]

First

[@Reaperguy67]

Like always. You say it when you weren't. Pretty sad and pointless

[@DoctorX101]

@@Reaperguy67 It is all he has. Well, that and his Peroni's disease.

[@CandiceVidito]

Not even close Furkanbozo

[@Reaperguy67]

​@@DoctorX101probably right about that.

[@StanHalen1936]

Loser