Just two seconds
Page 34
652. Date: October 19, 1980
Target: President Ferdinand Marcos
Location: Manila, Philippines
Details: A bomb was planted in the Philippine International Convention Center, moments before Marcos was to address a group of American tour operators. The perpetrator is said to have carried a suitcase full of explosives into the crowded room without being stopped by security. The bomb exploded causing 20 injuries, but no deaths.
653. Date: 1981
Target: Ron Reagan Jr. (President Reagan's son)
Location: New York, New York
Details: FALN members reportedly developed a plot to kidnap President Reagan's son and trade him for their imprisoned members. Secret Service agents learned of the reported plot through an imprisoned FALN member and increased protection for the President's son. According to the informant, the plan was to kidnap Reagan at the Joffery Ballet, where he was a member of the dance troupe. FBI agents placed the suspects under surveillance, raided the group's safe house, and arrested the FALN members.
654. Date: December 19, 1981
Target: Mayor Jane Byrne
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Details: Bodyguards for Byrne became suspicious of a man who was acting strangely and repeatedly asking about Byrne's arrival at a housing project she was scheduled to visit. They searched the man's briefcase and found a .32 revolver, 18 extra rounds, and newspaper clippings about Sadat's assassination. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
655. Date: July 31, 1983 (Newton-John)
Target: Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Singer Olivia Newton-John
Location: Washington, D.C.
Details: Michael Perry began stalking actress Olivia Newton-John in 1980. He told his psychiatrist Newton-John was evil and should be killed. At each of several trips to her home in California, he was detected and turned away by security personnel. He also spoke of killing O'Connor. On July 19, he murdered his parents, his nephew, and two cousins, shooting them all in the eyes. At the murder scene, he left a list of people he intended to kill, including Newton-John and O'Connor. He was at large for two weeks, eventually coming to police attention when arrested in an unrelated matter. At that time, he was staying in a hotel room a few blocks from the Supreme Court. He is currently on death row in Louisiana. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
656. Date: July 20, 1983
Target: Prince Charles and Princess Diana
Location: London, England
Details: An IRA member was supposed to plant explosives in a bathroom next to the royal box at a Dominion Theater concert. The plot reportedly failed due to tight security. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
657. Date: October 22, 1983
Target: President Ronald Reagan
Location: Augusta, Georgia
Details: An armed man raided a country club and seized five hostages, including two presidential assistants. Reagan and Secretary of State George Schultz were playing golf on the course at the time. The Secret Service undertook an emergency evacuation of the president by helicopter. Later the hostages were released without harm. (1-STARS: Management of the incident immediately after the attack favorably influenced safety/survival.)
658. Date: July 19, 1984
Target: Presidential Candidate (Senator) Gary Hart
Location: San Francisco, California
Details: Secret Service agents wrestled a man armed with a .22 revolver to the ground when he tried to enter the St. Francis Hotel, the same hotel where Sara Jane Moore fired shots at President Ford in 1975. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
659. Date: July 11, 1985
Target: President Junius Jayewardene
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Details: Police discovered a van loaded with 264 pounds of gelignite, wired to explode as Jayewardene's motorcade went past. Three Eelam terrorists were arrested. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
660. Date: January 9, 1986
Target: Florida Governor Bob Graham
Location: Portland, Oregon
Details: A woman was arrested at the Portland International Airport in connection with a plot a plot to kidnap Graham. She had attempted to hire a mercenary, who was actually an undercover police officer. She reportedly planned to hold Graham hostage for the release of her inmate husband, who was serving a 12-year sentence in Florida for a murder-for-hire plot.
661. Date: November 25, 1986
Target: Pope John Paul II
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Details: A former mental patient with five gasoline bombs was arrested at city hall, just hours before the Pope's arrival. He stated he wanted to kill the Pope "because he has too much money." (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
662. Date: November 3, 1987
Target: President Ronald Reagan
Location: Washington, D.C.
Details: An unemployed chemist was arrested in a plot to kill Reagan and Secretary of State George Shultz. Police found an AR-15, three 30-round clips, a Mossberg shotgun, a Remington 870 shotgun, and $7,600 in his car.
663. Date: February 12, 1988
Target: President Amin Gemayel
Location: Beirut, Lebanon
Details: A one-pound charge of TNT was found under the pilot's seat of Gemayel's Boeing jet, prior to his departure. Three airport employees were arrested. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
664. Date: May 13, 1988
Target: Presidential Candidate (Reverend) Jesse Jackson
Location: Washington, Missouri
Details: Londell Williams and his wife Tammy Williams were arrested after bragging that they would kill Jackson. They were affiliated with a Neo-Nazi white-supremacist group. Police found an AR-15 rifle with a scope.
665. Date: September 2, 1988
Target: Presidential Candidate (Governor) Michael Dukakis
Location: Springfield, Missouri
Details: A man was arrested trying to board a commercial aircraft with a pistol, a knife, and extra ammunition. He reportedly planned to fly to Los Angeles and kill Dukakis at a campaign stop.
666. Date: September 27, 1988
Target: Vice President George H.W. Bush
Location: Owensboro, Kentucky
Details: A man attended a Bush outdoor rally, carrying a .45 pistol under his shirt. He was described as a "nice, gentle young man." On September 29, he mailed an anonymous letter to President Reagan, threatening to kill Bush if he didn't drop out of the race. He included three pictures he had taken of Bush at the rally. Following an investigation, he was arrested on October 18. The Secret Service determined that he had gotten within 91 feet of Bush with his pistol. He had also stalked Kentucky Governor Martha Layne Collins and Senator Al Gore, carrying a knife to their rally in May 1987.
667. Date: August 4, 1989
Target: President George H.W. Bush
Location: Oakland, California
Details: A man was arrested while robbing a bank. He was armed with two handguns, and had $1,400 with him. He told police he was trying to raise money to "kill the president." He had reportedly stalked Bush and tried to kill him, during Bush's visit to Detroit, Michigan, but he found security to be too tight. He said that aliens were telling him to kill the president.
668. Date: November 3, 1989
Target: Presidential Candidate Cesar Gaviria
Location: Bogota, Colombia
Details: Federal agents assigned to protect Gaviria found a powerful bomb planted under a bridge hours before his motorcade was scheduled to cross it. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably
influenced safety/survival.)
669. Date: April 5, 1990
Target: Interior Minister Horacio Serpa
Location: Bogota, Colombia
Details: Police found and defused a truck bomb containing over 1,000 pounds of dynamite, minutes after Serpa had walked past it. (1-STARS: Management of the incident immediately after the attack favorably influenced safety/survival.)
670. Date: May 7, 1990
Target: Colombian President Virgilio Barco
Location: Tampa, Florida
Details: Two Colombian hit men were arrested when they attempted to buy Stinger missiles for $6 million from undercover officers to be used for shooting down Barco's helicopter.
671. Date: May 21, 1990
Target: Colombian President Virgilio Barco
Location: Bogota, Colombia
Details: Police defused a 170-pound dynamite bomb outside a school where Barco's granddaughters were students.
672. Date: June 21, 1990
Target: President F.W. de Klerk
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Details: Eleven right-wing terrorists were arrested in a plot to kill de Klerk, Nelson Mandela, and several other government officials. Mandela was to be shot by a sniper on July 18, during an airport arrival.
673. Date: September 27, 1990
Target: Foreign Minister William Waldegrave
Location: London, England
Details: A plastic lunch box containing four pounds of Semtex plastic explosives was discovered under the lectern at a conference. It was set to explode during the time Waldegrave would be speaking (bomb dogs had swept the room, and missed the bomb). (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
674. Date: October 22, 1991
Target: President George H.W. Bush
Location: Los Angeles, California
Details: A man was arrested in a plot to kill Bush during his visit on November 4. Police seized 34 guns, silencers, grenades, and 27,000 rounds of ammunition.
675. Date: December 22, 1991
Target: President F. W. de Klerk
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Details: Police uncovered a plot by a pro-apartheid group to kidnap de Klerk's grandson, and hold him hostage to force the release of a political prisoner.
676. Date: February 11, 1992
Target: Vice President Dan Quayle
Location: London, England
Details: A bomb containing five pounds of Semtex plastic explosive was found in a phone booth outside a building Quayle was to visit within hours. The IRA claimed credit. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
677. Date: September 15, 1992
Target: President George H.W. Bush
Location: Denver, Colorado
Details: A woman showed up at a campaign rally for Bush. She was described as a "nice person," and had no arrest record. She was carrying a .32 revolver and planned to attack Bush's motorcade, using the same tactics as Sara Jane Moore. She was unable to get into the building with the handgun, due to the magnetometers, and was deterred from shooting at his armored limousine. She left without taking action, and later related the incident to her psychiatrist. The Secret Service arrested her. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
678. Date: October 29, 1992
Target: President George H.W. Bush
Location: Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Details: Bush was riding aboard a train on a campaign trip. Advance personnel found an improvised explosive device along the train tracks and removed it. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
679. Date: January 17, 1993
Target: Rosa Fujimori (sister of President Alberto Fujimori)
Location: Lima, Peru
Details: Four Shining Path terrorists were arrested plotting to kill Fujimori's sister, Rosa. They had kept a log on her movements. They were also plotting a car bomb attack on his father-in-law.
680. Date: January 26, 1993
Target: Prime Minister John Major
Location: New Delhi, India
Details: Four Sikh terrorists were arrested with bombs set to explode during a parade attended by Major.
681. Date: January 27, 1993
Target: President Boris Yeltsin
Location: Moscow, Russia
Details: A Russian army major was arrested in the attic of a government building with a knife. He had tried to kill Yeltsin with two bombs, which failed to explode, so he planned to use the knife. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
682. Date: March 10, 1993
Target: Prime Minister John Major and the royal family
Location: London, England
Details: Police recovered several hundred pounds of IRA-owned explosives and a map marking Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street as the targets.
683. Date: April 7, 1993
Target: President Bill Clinton
Location: Washington, D.C.
Details: A woman was arrested across from the White House with three handguns, drugs, and signs asking to see the FBI and Barbara Walters. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
684. Date: April 8, 1993
Target: President Lech Walesa
Location: Gadansk, Poland
Details: Authorities foiled an assassination plot directed at Walesa.
685. Date: April 27, 1993
Target: President George H.W. Bush
Location: Kuwait City, Kuwait
Details: Sixteen men were arrested in a plot to kill the emirate of Kuwait. A plot to kill Bush on his trip there on April 14-16 was also uncovered. They reportedly planned three attempts: A car bomb at his airport arrival, a car bomb at the site of the ceremony, and a suicide bomber with explosives strapped to his chest. Police found 550 pounds of explosives. In retaliation, the U.S. launched a cruise missile attack two months later on the Iraqi intelligence headquarters in Baghdad.
686. Date: May 7, 1993
Target: President Vaclev Havel
Location: Prague, Czech
Details: Police arrested five foreigners in an assassination plot against Havel for his stand on Bosnia. A sixth man was still at large.
687. Date: May 14, 1993
Target: Tennis Star Boris Becker
Location: Rome, Italy
Details: A man was arrested with several knives and a pistol with blanks, trying to attend the Italian Open. He claimed he was James Bond. Police found a wig and pictures of Becker in the man's room. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
688. Date: May 21, 1993
Target: ANC Official Joe Slovo
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Details: A man was arrested in a plot to kill Slovo. A commission investigating reports of military hit squads uncovered the information.
689. Date: June 2, 1993
Target: Premier Carlo Ciampi
Location: Rome, Italy
Details: A car containing 33 pounds of ANFO explosives set to explode by remote control was found parked outside Ciampi's office. Police defused the device. (2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)
690. Date: June 24, 1993
Target: Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Location: New York, New York
Details: FBI agents arrested eight Muslims in a plot to kill Boutros-Ghali, Senator Alfonse D'Amato, Assemblyman Dov Hikind, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The U.N., an FBI office, and a major commuter tunnel were also targeted for bombing. Five drums filled with homemade ANFO explosives were recovered.
691. Date: June 24, 1993
Target: Former General Norman Schwarzkopf<
br />
Location: Tampa, Florida
Details: Reportedly, an Iraqi plot to assassinate Schwarzkopf had been thwarted and he was placed under government protection.
692. Date: August 15, 1993
Target: King Hussein
Location: Amman, Jordan
Details: Police arrested eight students for plotting to kill Hussein while he spoke at the Mu'ta University graduation ceremony on June 26.
693. Date: February 18, 1994
Target: President Bill Clinton
Location: Orlando, Florida
Details: A man was arrested after he threatened to kill Clinton on his jogging route. The man, an unemployed limousine driver with a 14-year history of manic depression, had traveled to Washington, D.C., and stood with a pistol in a camera case along Clinton's jogging route, but Clinton was out of town.
694. Date: March 12, 1994
Target: Former Mayor Richard Oldham
Location: Quartzsite, Arizona
Details: Rex Byrd, Mayor of Quartzsite, was arrested after attempting to hire a hit man for $10,000 to kill the former mayor.
695. Date: May 4, 1994
Target: County Prosecutor Randy Nichols
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
Details: A man was arrested after sending two letter bombs to Nichols. Postal authorities intercepted both packages.
696. Date: July 19, 1994
Target: ABC President Robert Iger
Location: Jackson, Mississippi
Details: A homemade package bomb was disarmed after a UPS man noticed it smoking. It was the second bomb sent to Iger in three months.
697. Date: November 12, 1994
Target: President Bill Clinton
Location: Philippines
Details: Terrorist Osama bin Laden planned an assassination attempt to occur during Clinton's official visit. It never got beyond the planning stages due to tight security.
698. Date: 1995
Target: President Saddam Hussein
Location: Samarra, Iraq
Details: Dissident members of Hussein's military planned to attack his convoy as it crossed the Samarra Bridge. It is estimated that when Hussein traveled by road, approximately 1,000 protection personnel were deployed. Several motorcade routes were cleared of traffic one hour ahead of departure, and diversionary motorcades carried Saddam look-a-likes. Telephone lines were cut along the route, and armed helicopters flew surveillance overhead. The actual motorcade carrying Hussein had as many as 20 identical Mercedes limousines, all with identical license numbers. The dissidents planned to disable the first and last car of Hussein's motorcade, then use heavy weapons to destroy each vehicle, killing everyone. The plot was never carried out after support for the plan was withdrawn.