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Target: Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev
Location: Moscow, Russia
Details: During the Revolution Day parade through Red Square, a man in the crowd fired two shots from a sawed-off shotgun, about 80 yards from Gorbachev. Police dragged the man away. A note in his pocket stated that he had been preparing to kill Gorbachev for two years. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
499. Date: February 7, 1991
Target: Prime Minister John Major
Location: London, England
Details: While meeting with his war cabinet at 10 Downing Street, an IRA van pulled up outside and fired three mortar shells, wounding four people and causing damage.
500. Date: February 27, 1991
Target: President Alfredo Cristiani
Location: San Salvador, El Salvador
Details: Leftist rebels fired several 81mm mortars into the presidential compound, causing damage but no injuries.
501. Date: March 28, 1991
Target: Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
Location: New Delhi, India
Details: About 2,000 angry people stopped Gandhi's car and tried to drag out his son, Rahul. Gandhi's supporters pushed back the crowd and he left the area immediately. It was not immediately clear who the attackers were, but some shouted slogans praising the Janata Dal Party of former Prime Minister V.P. Singh.
502. Date: April 27, 1991
Target: President V. B. de Chamorro
Location: Managua, Nicaragua
Details: Chamorro was attending a wedding ceremony at the Inter-Continental Hotel when two men with AK-47s drove past in a pickup truck and opened fire. Two were wounded, but Chamorro was unhurt.
503. Date: August 9, 1991
Target: President F. W. de Klerk
Location: Ventersdorp, South Africa
Details: As de Klerk was delivering a speech, hundreds of heavily armed militants tried to storm the building. Police opened fire, killing two and wounding 54. De Klerk was not injured. (3-STARS: Protector action during the attack favorably influenced safety/survival.)
504. Date: January 10, 1992
Target: Prime Minister John Major
Location: London, England
Details: A briefcase bomb exploded outside 10 Downing Street, ten minutes after Major left for a meeting. There were no injuries and the IRA claimed credit.
505. Date: February 11, 1992
Target: Ambassador Anthony Quainton
Location: Lima, Peru
Details: A car bomb exploded outside Quainton's residence, killing two officers and wounding two others. The Shining Path terrorist group was credited.
506. Date: March 20, 1992
Target: Party Vice President Shin Kanemaru
Location: Ashikaga, Japan
Details: Kanemaru was delivering a speech at a political rally when a man fired three shots with a pistol at the podium, narrowly missing him.
507. Date: August 29, 1992
Target: Governor Raphael Colon
Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Details: A man with two knives attacked Colon in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, where Colon was to address a group. His bodyguard disarmed the man and wrestled him to the ground. (4-STARS: Protector action during the attack entirely prevented injury.)
508. Date: July 6, 1992
Target: French First Lady Danielle Mitterrand
Location: Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
Details: Mitterrand was riding in a six-car motorcade when a car bomb exploded as the last car went past. Four were killed, including three bodyguards, and 19 were injured. Mitterrand escaped unharmed. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
509. Date: July 14, 1992
Target: Finance Minister Yannis Paleokrassas
Location: Athens, Greece
Details: Paleokrassas was leaving work with his wife in an armored Mercedes when a November 17 terrorist fired an anti-tank rocket at his car, killing one person and injuring six others. Paleokrassas escaped unharmed. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
510. Date: October 1, 1992
Target: Legislator Takashi Inoue
Location: Kawasaki, Japan
Details: Two bombs exploded outside Inoue's home, breaking out six windows, but causing no injuries. Radical leftists were blamed.
511. Date: October 12, 1992
Target: President Andres Perez
Location: Paraguaipoa, Venezuela
Details: Bodyguards shot and killed two men in a truck as it sped toward Perez during a ceremony. The truck struck several soldiers and civilians before stopping. (3-STARS: Protector action during the attack favorably influenced safety/survival.)
512. Date: October 30, 1992
Target: Prime Minister John Major
Location: London, England
Details: An IRA car bomb in a hijacked taxicab exploded outside 10 Downing Street. No injuries were reported.
513. Date: March 25, 1993
Target: President Gnassingbe Eyadema
Location: Lome, Togo
Details: Gunmen launched a pre-dawn raid on Eyadema's home, killing a top military aide. They were stopped by government troops. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
514. Date: August 25, 1993
Target: President Saddam Hussein
Location: Baghdad, Iraq
Details: Hussein narrowly escaped assassination while he was visiting his home village. Twenty-five were killed in a gun battle with his security force. A coup attempt in early August also failed. (3-STARS: Protector action during the attack favorably influenced safety/survival.)
515. Date: September 24, 1993
Target: President Saddam Hussein
Location: Baghdad, Iraq
Details: A roadside bomb, concealed in a tractor, exploded as Hussein's armored limousine drove by, wounding one of his bodyguards. He was en route to a secret meeting. After the attack, 60 senior officials were questioned, and 20 officers were reportedly executed. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
516. Date: November 25, 1993
Target: Prime Minister Atef Sedki
Location: Cairo, Egypt
Details: A car bomb exploded as Sedki's motorcade went past. He was riding in an armored limousine en route from his home to the office. Sedki was unharmed, but a schoolgirl was killed and 21 were injured. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
517. Date: January 9, 1994
Target: Secretary-General Cyril Ramaphosa
Location: Katlehong, South Africa
Details: Automatic weapons fire broke out during a tour. Bodyguards whisked Ramaphosa, ANC Official Joe Slovo, and others away to safety. Two people were killed and two were wounded. (4-STARS: Protector action during the attack entirely prevented injury.)
518. Date: February 1, 1994
Target: President Hashemi Rafsanjani
Location: Tehran, Iran
Details: A man fired shots at Rafsanjani as he was addressing a crowd. The shots missed. Twenty people were later arrested.
519. Date: July 29, 1994
Target: King Juan Carlos
Location: Madrid, Spain
Details: A car bomb exploded outside the walls of the royal palace, killing an army general and two others. The king and queen were away on vacation.
520. Date: August 26, 1994
Target: Kurdish Leader Jalal Talabani
Location: Erbil, Turkey
Details: A car bomb exploded ten minutes after Talabani's motorcade went past, killing several civilians.
521. Date: January 26, 1995
Target: Governor K. V. Krishna Rao
Location: Jammu, India
Detai
ls: Three bombs exploded, one within 60 feet of Rao, as he delivered a speech at a sports arena. The blast killed seven and wounded 47. Rao wasn't hurt.
522. Date: May 16, 1995
Target: Governor Yukio Aoshima
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Details: A package bomb addressed to Aoshima exploded in his office at city hall when an aide opened it, maiming his hands. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
523. Date: May 20, 1995
Target: President Nelson Mandela
Location: Mandeni, South Africa
Details: A gunman fired shots in the air just 20 yards from Mandela at a funeral ceremony. His bodyguards shielded him while others tackled the gunman. (3-STARS: Protector action during the attack favorably influenced safety/survival.)
524. Date: July 3, 1995
Target: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Details: Mubarak arrived at the airport to attend an OAU summit. His four-car motorcade departed with Mubarak riding in his armored Mercedes, which was third in line. Along the heavily guarded route, a group of Islamic extremists launched an ambush by pulling a car across the road. The gunmen jumped out and opened fire with AK-47s, as security forces returned fire. Mubarak's limousine stopped, then turned around and fled to the airport. Some of the terrorists were killed, and the others were later arrested. Mubarak's armored limousine was struck by several rounds, but none penetrated. (4-STARS: Protector action during the attack entirely prevented injury.)
525. Date: September 20, 1995
Target: Presidential Envoy Oleg Lobov
Location: Moscow, Russia
Details: A remote-controlled bomb hidden under a bridge exploded as Lobov's motorcade started across. Another official and his bodyguard were wounded.
526. Date: December 2, 1995
Target: Congress
Location: Lima, Peru
Details: Government troops killed three guerrillas and captured 12 others in an attempt to storm Congress and kidnap leading legislators. Police displayed a map of the plan and a photo of one guerrilla dressed like a policeman. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
527. Date: January 25, 1996
Target: Presidential Candidate Arnoldo Aleman
Location: Guatemala
Details: Gunmen shot at Aleman while he was campaigning. The bullets missed him, but killed a bodyguard and wounded three others. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
528. Date: February 4, 1996
Target: President Alvaro Arzu
Location: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Details: Bodyguards shot and killed a man who tried repeatedly to ram his pickup truck into Arzu and his wife as they rode horses. He struck a bodyguard on horseback and then rammed security vehicles. The attack occurred the day before the visit of Pope John Paul II. (4-STARS: Protector action during the attack entirely prevented injury.)
529. Date: February 10, 1996
Target: Prime Minister Begum Khaleda
Location: Rajshahi, Bangladesh
Details: A bomb exploded at a campaign rally where Khaleda was speaking, killing a police officer. Nine people were killed, including two officers, and over 200 were injured in three days of pre-election violence.
530. Date: April 4, 1996
Target: President Boris Yeltsin
Location: Moscow, Russia
Details: An unidentified sniper fired three times at several buildings across from Yeltsin's apartment. The sniper then fled. There were no injuries.
531. Date: May 18, 1996
Target: President Suleyman Demirel
Location: Izmit, Turkey
Details: A man pointed a pistol at Demirel during a groundbreaking ceremony for a shopping mall. Bodyguards tackled him as he fired, wounding the chief bodyguard, Sukru Cukurlu, and a journalist. Demirel was not hurt. The man was angry at Turkey's military operation in Israel. (4-STARS: Protector action during the attack entirely prevented injury.)
532. Date: June 14, 1996
Targets: U.S. Ambassador Robert Krueger & the Foreign Minister of Burundi
Location: Cibitoke Province, Burundi
Details: Diplomatic Security agents Larry Salmon and Chris Reilly were decorated for heroism for their response in an attack against the ambassador and the Foreign Minister of Burundi. On a winding mountain road, the convoy was ambushed. Amid automatic weapons fire, the ambassador's car was stuck behind another vehicle. Reilly reached across the terrified driver, put the car in reverse, and backed it out from behind the stopped vehicle ahead. He then helped the driver maneuver to safety. Salmon was driving the vehicle behind the Ambassador's car that day in Burundi. Responding instantly to the attack, Salmon pushed his passenger to the floor for safety and fired six rounds at the assailants. He was the only member of the party to return fire, and he did so while driving his vehicle to safety behind Reilly. Salmon was hit in the shoulder by one of the 10 or so bullets that hit his vehicle. Neither protectee was injured. (4-STARS: Protector action during the attack entirely prevented injury.)
533. Date: July 16, 1996
Target: Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko
Location: Kiev, Ukraine
Details: A remote-controlled bomb, hidden in a drainpipe, exploded as Lararenko was going to the airport. It left a crater four feet deep and six feet wide. The blast damaged the trunk of his car and another car in the motorcade. Lazarenko was not injured. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
534. Date: October 14, 1996
Target: President Alvaro Arzu
Location: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Details: An explosion ripped through the fourth floor of a building 100 yards from Arzu's office complex, killing two women and wounding a man. Police investigated two men seen placing a satchel charge, then fleeing. Arzu was not injured.
535. Date: October 31, 1996
Target: President Charles Taylor
Location: Monrovia, Liberia
Details: Gunmen opened fire on Taylor's entourage as it arrived at the Executive Mansion. The gunmen were able to follow his motorcade past the guards and onto the grounds, using a taxicab. Taylor escaped injury, but his bodyguard and two others were killed. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
536. Date: December 25, 1996
Target: Army Chief of Staff Tin Oo
Location: Rangoon, Burma
Details: A bomb exploded at the World Peace Pagoda, shortly before Oo arrived to pay his respects. The SLORC blamed the attack on armed opposition groups, the exiled All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) and the Karen Nation Union (KNU), and implicated the NLD as an "above-ground destructive element" with whom these groups were alleged to have contact. By the end of the year, no arrests had been made in relation the attack.
537. Date: February 12, 1997
Target: President Ernesto Samper
Location: Barranquilla, Colombia
Details: A 44-pound dynamite bomb exploded near the airport as Samper's jet was coming in for a landing. There were no injuries.
538. Date: March 9, 1997
Target: Guerilla Leader Shamil Basayev
Location: Grozny, Chechnya
Details: A remote-controlled land mine exploded as Basayev's motorcade was going by, wounding a bodyguard and damaging several cars. He was not hurt.
539. Date: April 5, 1997
Target: Prime Minister Bashkim Fino
Location: Bushat, Albania
Details: Gunmen stopped Fino's motorcade just short of his destination, Shkodra. When they tried to negotiate, the rebels threw two hand grenades at the cars. Fino's motorcade turned around and he escaped unharmed. (3-STARS: Protector action during the attack favorably influenced safety/
survival.)
540. Date: April 6, 1997
Target: Army Chief of Staff Tin Oo
Location: Rangoon, Burma
Details: A mail bomb exploded at Oo's home when his daughter, Cho Lei Oo, opened it, killing her. General Oo was reportedly not injured. The SLORC blamed the attack on armed opposition groups, the exiled All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF) and the Karen Nation Union (KNU), and implicated the NLD as an "above-ground destructive element" with whom these groups were alleged to have contact. By the end of the year, no arrests had been made in relation the attack.
541. Date: May 23, 1997
Target: King Leka
Location: Tropoje, Albania
Details: Two gunmen fired shots at the lead police car of Leka's motorcade as it entered town. Leka's bodyguards quickly jumped out and caught one of them. Leka later ordered him released. No one was injured. (4-STARS: Protector action during the attack entirely prevented injury.)
542. Date: June 4, 1997
Target: President Sali Berisha
Location: Shkallnuer, Albania
Details: A man threw a grenade at Berisha as he was speaking to a crowd of several hundred. The grenade landed at Berisha's feet, failed to explode, and the assailant was arrested.
543. Date: May 14, 1997
Target: Government Leaders
Location: Beijing, China
Details: A bomb exploded under a park bench near the offices of China's top leaders. There were no reported injuries.
544. Date: May 25, 1997
Target: President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah
Location: Freetown, Sierra Leone
Details: Mutinous soldiers seized the Parliament building and set fire to the national treasury, killing four and wounding 21. Kabbah fled to neighboring Guinea. Stray fire from rocket-propelled grenades and mortars hit the U.S. Embassy, 200 yards from the assembly building.
545. Date: June 26, 1997
Target: President Sali Berisha
Location: Lushnja, Albania
Details: Gunmen fired assault rifles at Berisha's motorcade during a campaign rally, missing him, but wounding three bodyguards. The attack came within hours of other pre-election violence, including a kidnapping and a firefight that caught a government minister in the crossfire. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
546. Date: July 18, 1997
Target: Community Leader Ivan Maron