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by Gavin De Becker; Thomas A. Taylor; Jeff Marquart


  117. Date: February 28, 1986

  Target: Prime Minister Olaf Palme

  Location: Stockholm, Sweden

  Details: Palme and his wife dismissed their bodyguards for the evening and went out to see a movie. As they were walking home, a gunman shot him twice in the back with an armor-piercing .357 Magnum. A third shot wounded his wife. The gunman escaped. Christer Pettersson was arrested, tried, and convicted, but it was later overturned. Pettersson died in 2004 of a brain hemorrhage.

  118. Date: March 19, 1986

  Target: Etti Tal-Or (Diplomat's wife)

  Location: Cairo, Egypt

  Details: Tal-Or was leaving the Israeli pavilion at the International Trade Fair when gunmen in a passing car shot her. Tal-Or was killed, and two bodyguards and another diplomat's wife were wounded.

  119. Date: July 9, 1986

  Target: Industrialist Karl Beckurts

  Location: Munich, West Germany

  Details: Beckurts was riding in his armored limousine en route to work. A remote-controlled bomb exploded, killing him and his driver. The device was planted along the road by Red Army Faction terrorists.

  120. Date: September 8, 1986

  Target: President Augusto Pinochet

  Location: Santiago, Chile

  Details: Pinochet was riding in his armored Mercedes, which was fourth in a five-car motorcade, returning to the capitol from his weekend retreat. An oncoming car, pulling a trailer, suddenly veered across the road, blocking it. Gunmen opened fire from both sides of the road, using M-16s, rockets, bazookas, and hand grenades. Both lead motorcycles were hit, stopping the motorcade. A rocket struck the second car -- normally the position of the protectee's vehicle -- that was full of bodyguards, killing them all. Pinochet's driver backed up, striking the vehicle behind him, then turned around and escaped. Pinochet was slightly wounded, five bodyguards were killed, and eleven others were wounded. An estimated dozen terrorists all escaped. (3-STARS: Protector action during the attack favorably influenced safety/survival.)

  121. Date: October 25, 1986

  Target: Governor Rafael Garrido

  Location: San Sebastian, Spain

  Details: Garrido was riding in a partially armored limousine, which was stopped at a traffic light. Two ETA terrorists on a motorcycle pulled alongside, placed a bomb on the roof of Garrido's car, and sped away. The bomb exploded, killing Garrido, his wife and son, and wounded the driver.

  122. Date: November 17, 1986

  Target: Renault President Georges Besse

  Location: Paris, France

  Details: Besse was shot several times while he was walking to the front door of his residence, after being dropped off at home by his driver. Besse was shot with a 9mm handgun by a couple hiding in the shrubbery surrounding his apartment. He didn't use bodyguards. The two Direct Action terrorists escaped. In March 1987, police raided a farmhouse in France, believed to be a Direct Action safe house. Inside, they found numerous videotapes of Besse and other prominent business people. The videos showed the targeted protectees going about their daily routines in two locations: Their homes and offices. The tapes illustrated that terrorists conduct surveillance of their targets, and their surveillance is usually concentrated around homes and offices.

  123. Date: November 1986

  Target: Chief of Staff Arun Vaidya

  Location: New Delhi, India

  Details: Four gunmen on two motorcycles overtook Vaidya's car and opened fire. Vaidya was killed before his bodyguard could draw his gun.

  124. Date: January 7, 1987

  Target: Defense Minister Camille Chamoun (former President)

  Location: Beirut, Lebanon

  Details: A car laden with 165 pounds of explosives was detonated as Chamoun's motorcade drove past. Though Chamoun's armored Mercedes was hurled 60 feet off the road, he and his driver survived. The blast killed three bodyguards and a bystander, wounded 35 others, and destroyed 26 other cars. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)

  125. Date: March 20, 1987

  Target: Air Force General Licio Giorgieri

  Location: Rome, Italy

  Details: Giorgieri was riding in a chauffeur-driven limousine when a motorcycle with two Red Brigade terrorists pulled alongside and opened fire. Giorgieri was shot five times and killed.

  126. Date: June 1, 1987

  Target: Prime Minister Rashid Karami

  Location: Beirut, Lebanon

  Details: A remote-controlled bomb hidden under Karami's seat in his helicopter exploded, killing him and wounding four others. The bomb weighed 10.5 ounces. He had just taken off in his helicopter.

  127. Date: August 2, 1987

  Target: Secretary General Jaime Ferrer

  Location: Manila, Philippines

  Details: Three gunmen with pistols and an automatic weapon opened fire, killing Ferrer and his driver while they were riding in the car. Despite receiving death threats, Ferrer refused to use bodyguards.

  128. Date: February 1, 1988

  Target: Attorney General Carlos Hoyos

  Location: Bogota, Colombia

  Details: Three jeeps and a car with six Medellin Drug Cartel gunmen forced Hoyos' Mercedes off the road, as he was en route to the airport. They sprayed his two bodyguards with automatic weapon fire. Hoyos' handcuffed body was later found nearby.

  129. Date: April 16, 1988

  Target: PLO Official Khalil al-Wazir

  Location: Tunis, Tunisia

  Details: Seven masked gunmen armed with silenced weapons burst into al-Wazir's home, killing him, two bodyguards, and a worker. Al-Wazir returned fire, but was shot about 70 times. An Israeli hit team was blamed.

  130. Date: April 16, 1988

  Target: Senator Roberto Ruffilli

  Location: Rome, Italy

  Details: Red Brigade terrorists entered Ruffilli's home and shot him in the back of the neck, killing him. He had received threatening phone calls.

  131. Date: June 18, 1988

  Target: Premier Turgut Ozal

  Location: Ankara, Turkey

  Details: During a speech to members of Ozal's governing Motherland Party, escaped murderer Kartal Demirag opened fire from a group of nearby reporters. He fired twice before his gun jammed. One round hit the microphone in front of Ozal and grazed his thumb. Bodyguards returned fire, wounding 20 other people and Demirag. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)

  132. Date: June 28, 1988

  Target: U.S. Defense Attache William Nordeen

  Location: Athens, Greece

  Details: Nordeen left his home en route to work, driving a partially armored car. About 100 meters from his residence, he drove past a parked car containing a bomb. Two November 17 terrorists on a nearby motorcycle detonated the bomb, throwing Nordeen's car 18 feet. Nordeen's body was found 30 feet from his car. The terrorists escaped.

  133. Date: September 20, 1988

  Target: Information Minister Joseph Skaff

  Location: Beirut, Lebanon

  Details: A car bomb exploded, killing three people, wounding 25, and destroying 25 cars. Skaff and three bodyguards were among the injured.

  134. Date: September 28, 1988

  Target: Texaco Executive

  Location: Bogota, Colombia

  Details: The executive was being driven home from work in his armored car when a remote-control bomb was detonated. The device was concealed in a cart along the road, but was set off a fraction of a second too soon. The executive, his driver, and his bodyguard all survived. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)

  135. Date: January 25, 1989

  Target: Military Commander Gustavo Martinez

  Location: Tegucigalpa, Honduras

  Details: Rebels, disguised as telephone repairmen, opened fire on Martinez's car at a stop sign three blocks from his house. He and his driver were killed. He had
refused to use bodyguards.

  136. Date: March 17, 1989

  Target: Congressman Moises Espinosa

  Location: Manila, Philippines

  Details: Espinosa was walking from his airplane to his car when a gunman opened fire with an assault rifle, killing him and two others. The killer escaped on a motorcycle.

  137. Date: April 19, 1989

  Target: Attorney General Roberto Alvarado

  Location: El Salvador, San Salvador

  Details: Leftist guerrillas placed a bomb on the top of Alvarado's armored Jeep Cherokee while it was stopped in traffic. It exploded, killing him.

  138. Date: April 21, 1989

  Target: Military Commander James Rowe

  Location: Manila, Philippines

  Details: Gunmen pulled alongside Rowe's armored car in a traffic circle two blocks from his office. They opened fire with a .45 pistol and an M-16, hitting Rowe in the back of the head. He was killed and his Filipino driver was wounded.

  139. Date: May 16, 1989

  Target: Moslem Leader Hassan Khaled

  Location: Beirut, Lebanon

  Details: Khaled was riding in a motorcade when a car bomb exploded, killing him, the driver, and three others. Four riot police in the lead vehicle were also killed.

  140. Date: May 30, 1989

  Target: Police Chief Maza Marquez

  Location: Bogota, Colombia

  Details: Marquez was en route to the office in an armored limousine when a car bomb exploded, killing a bodyguard and three others, and wounding 38 people, including seven bodyguards. Marquez was injured slightly. He was scheduled to attend an international conference on protecting officials. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)

  141. Date: June 9, 1989

  Target: Cabinet Minister Jose Rodriguez

  Location: San Salvador, El Salvador

  Details: As Rodriguez walked out of his home and was getting into his car, a gunman on a motorcycle shot him three times in the chest, killing him, his driver, and a groundskeeper. He did not have bodyguards.

  142. Date: July 4, 1989

  Target: Governor Roldan Betancur

  Location: Medellin, Colombia

  Details: A car bomb exploded as Betancur's armored limousine drove past, killing him, two bodyguards, two pedestrians, and a councilman in the car. Another bodyguard was seriously wounded. The Medellin Drug Cartel was blamed.

  143. Date: August 16, 1989

  Target: Magistrate Judge Carlos Valencia Garcia

  Location: Bogota, Colombia

  Details: Medellin Drug Cartel gunmen, riding on two motorcycles and in a taxi, ambushed Garcia after he left his office in his car. They shot him six times with automatic weapons, and he later died at the hospital. His body armor was thwarted when he was struck in the neck and the armpit areas. His three bodyguards were wounded.

  144. Date: August 18, 1989

  Target: Police Commander W. F. Quintero

  Location: Bogota, Colombia

  Details: Quintero departed his home in a limousine when he was cut off by a carload of five Medellin Drug Cartel gunmen. They opened fire, spraying over one hundred rounds into Quintero and his bodyguard. Quintero had recently assigned most of his bodyguards to protect judges.

  145. Date: August 18, 1989

  Target: Presidential Candidate (Senator) L. C. Galan

  Location: Soacha, Colombia

  Details: Galan was speaking at a political rally when seven Medellin Drug Cartel gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons, wounding several people. Galan was wearing a bullet-resistant vest, but was struck in the neck and stomach. He later died at the hospital, along with Councilman Julio Penalosa. On August 5, Galan escaped an assassination attempt in Medellin by the drug cartel.

  146. Date: September 11, 1989

  Target: Former Mayor Pablo Gonzalez

  Location: Medellin, Colombia

  Details: Two gunmen opened fire with 9mm pistols on Gonzalez's BMW sedan as he was driving to work. He and his driver were killed.

  147. Date: October 17, 1989

  Target: Federal Judge Hector Rodriguez

  Location: Medellin, Colombia

  Details: Rodriguez was getting into his car at his home when two Medellin Drug Cartel gunmen on a motorcycle pulled up and shot him six times, killing him.

  148. Date: October 27, 1989

  Target: State Assemblyman G. J. Santamaria

  Location: Medellin, Colombia

  Details: Santamaria was sitting at his office desk when a gunman walked in and opened fire with an automatic weapon, killing him. Bodyguards returned fire, killing the gunman.

  149. Date: November 1, 1989

  Target: Federal Judge Mariela Espinoza

  Location: Medellin, Colombia

  Details: Espinoza arrived home, escorted by two motorcycle officers. As she opened the garage door, two cars loaded with gunmen drove past, firing automatic weapons. She was struck 13 times and died. She had survived two previous attempts on her life.

  150. Date: November 1, 1989

  Target: Congressman Luis Madero

  Location: Bogota, Colombia

  Details: Madero arrived in a taxi, along with his bodyguard. A drug cartel assassin opened fire from the shadows, killing him.

  151. Date: November 1, 1989

  Target: Embassy Official M. Ali Marzouqi

  Location: Beirut, Lebanon

  Details: Marzouqi was getting into his limousine when three Islamic Jihad gunmen opened fire with silenced weapons, killing him and wounding his driver.

  152. Date: November 22, 1989

  Target: President Rene Mouawad

  Location: Beirut, Lebanon

  Details: Mouawad was riding in his armored Mercedes in a ten-car motorcade when a remote-controlled bomb exploded, hurling his limousine off the street. Mouawad, ten bodyguards, and 13 others were killed, and 36 were injured. The 400-pound bomb was hidden in a small shop along the street.

  153. Date: November 28, 1989

  Target: Politician F. Jose Guerrero

  Location: San Salvador, El Salvador

  Details: Leftist guerrilla gunmen opened fire on Guerrero's car, killing him and wounding his bodyguard. Another bodyguard returned fire, killing one attacker.

  154. Date: November 30, 1989

  Target: Bank Executive Alfred Herrhausen

  Location: Bad Homburg, West Germany

  Details: Herrhausen was riding to work in an armored Mercedes Benz when a remote-controlled bomb exploded, killing him and seriously injuring his driver. The 20 kg. bomb with a copper plate, planted by Red Army Faction terrorists, was hidden in the pouch of a bicycle parked along the street. A photo cell armed the device as the lead car of bodyguards drove past it, and Herrhausen's car triggered the switch, blowing the copper plate through Herrhausen's armored door and severing his femoral artery. The bodyguards in the lead and follow-up car were not injured. No one has ever been charged in his murder.

  155. Date: January 5, 1990

  Target: Mayor Javier Hizon

  Location: Angeles, Philippines

  Details: Communist guerrillas gunned down Hizon and his bodyguard outside Hizon's home as they were leaving for work.

  156. Date: January 18, 1990

  Target: Mayor Hitoshi Motoshima

  Location: Nagasaki, Japan

  Details: A man shot Motoshima in the back and killed him as he was leaving city hall, because he had made remarks against former Emperor Hirohito.

  157. Date: March 22, 1990

  Target: Presidential Candidate Bernardo Jaramillo

  Location: Bogota, Colombia

  Details: Jaramillo walked into the Bogota International Airport when a gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon, striking him twice in the throat and twice in the abdomen. Bodyguards returned fire, wounding the gunman. Jaramillo later died at the hospital.

  158. Date: March 30, 1990

  Target: Polish Diplomat Budg
an Zbigniew

  Location: Beirut, Lebanon

  Details: Zbigniew was parking his car near the Bristol Hotel when gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons, wounding him and his wife.

  159. Date: April 24, 1990

  Target: Opposition Leader Kazem Rajavi

  Location: Geneva, Switzerland

  Details: Rajavi was driving home when a car blocked the road and two occupants opened fire with 9mm submachine guns, killing him. The gunmen escaped.

  160. Date: April 25, 1990

  Target: Opposition Leader Oskar Lafontaine

  Location: Bonn, West Germany

  Details: After a campaign rally, a woman who asked for his autograph stabbed Lafontaine in the neck. Her knife was hidden in her bouquet of flowers.

  161. Date: April 26, 1990

  Target: Presidential Candidate Carlos Pizarro

  Location: Bogota, Colombia

  Details: Pizarro was flying aboard an Avianca Boeing 727 when a gunman came out of the lavatory with a submachine gun and opened fire, hitting Pizzaro 15 times and killing him. Bodyguards returned fire, killing the gunman.

  162. Date: May 21, 1990

  Target: Senator Federico Belez

  Location: Medellin, Colombia

  Details: Belez was stopped at a traffic light when two gunmen on a motorcycle pulled alongside and opened fire, killing Belez and his driver.

  163. Date: July 20, 1990

  Target: B. F. Goodrich Company Executive

  Location: La Molina, Peru

  Details: The executive, his driver, and two of his bodyguards were killed when a Shining Path terrorist group attacked his two-car convoy. They pulled a tanker truck across the road, blocking their path, and fired a barrage of gunfire and bombs.

  164. Date: July 24, 1990

  Target: Prosecutor Maria Restrepo

  Location: Uraba, Colombia

  Details: Three gunmen opened fire as Restrepo left her office, killing her and her bodyguard. The gunmen were with a right-wing death squad.

  165. Date: July 27, 1990

  Target: Ministry Official Hans Neusel

  Location: Bonn, West Germany

  Details: Neusel was driving himself in a BMW sedan when a roadside bomb exploded, destroying his car. He was only wounded. The device was planted by the Red Army Faction and activated by a light beam.

  166. Date: July 31, 1990

 

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