ASSASSINS

Aslan Pahari brings you stories of the world's most shocking assassinations. From seizing power, to silencing dissidents, ASSASSINS unpacks the moments in which someone decides that murder is the move.Every episode will be available as audio and video, just search for ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari on the ABC listen app, ABC iview or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac, Rasputin, and Gandhi met their end.Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseAudio engineer: John JacobsVideo production: Tejas BhatSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchExecutive Producer: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica Radburn

There have been few assassinations as notorious or consequential as Abraham Lincoln's.But for years before he killed the President, Lincoln’s assassin was a household name across North America. In fact, stage actor John Wilkes Booth was so famous that many people had images of him hung on the walls of their homes.So how does an American celebrity kill an American President in front of hundreds of witnesses and escape the scene, kicking off a wild and farcical manhunt?This is the story of how the hunter became the hunted.Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseAudio Engineer: John JacobsVideo Producer: Tejas BhatSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hit man to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac, Rasputin, and Gandhi met their end.

Almost two decades after her assassination we still don't know who killed Benazir Bhutto.But that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of theories about who had the means and the motive.As the first woman to become prime minister of a Muslim country, Bhutto went toe-to-toe with the totalitarian forces that killed her father and controlled her country.To her supporters, she represented their great hope for Pakistan to break free from years of military dictatorship.But powerful forces wanted her dead.Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseAudio Engineer: John JacobsVideo Producer: Tejas BhatSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac, Rasputin, and Gandhi met their end.

How do you assassinate someone when you don't know what they look like?The K-Pop Demon Hunter of her time, Korea's first empress, Queen Min, was a total bad ass. But there weren't any reliable images of her, so no one beyond her immediate court knew what she looked like.Which turned out to be a problem when samurai assassins, part of a rabble-rousing mob, stormed her palace early one morning with one thing on their mind: assassination.A progressive woman, who outmanoeuvred every man in her court, Queen Min was killed by those in power for being ahead of her time — and trying to drag her country, the so-called Hermit Kingdom, out of the past with her.Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseAudio Engineer: John JacobsVideo Producer: Tejas BhatSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac, Rasputin, and Gandhi met their end.

How long do you remain conscious for after having your head chopped off?For centuries, people thought that a severed head might be aware of what's going on for up to 30 seconds after decapitation — or even longer!That folklore has its origins in the assassination of revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat by Charlotte Corday, the French Revolution's "Angel of Assassination".You might know that in the early days of the revolution, most of the people who faced the razor-sharp guillotine were from the aristocracy or were supporters of the monarchy.But once the revolutionaries were victorious, years of terrifying infighting began, and thousands more heads would roll.Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseScript consultant: Sophie TownsendAudio Engineer: John JacobsVideo Producer: Tejas Bhat, Lewis IsaacsSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac, Rasputin, and Gandhi met their end.

Is Ancient Egypt's 3000-year-old murder mystery history's coldest case?Ramses III was the last of Egypt's Great Pharaohs; a saviour of the empire, a military genius, a god-king.But for over 3000 years, his death remained a mystery. Then, in 2012, scientists uncovered the truth.They found a wound nobody had noticed before — the type of wound that could only have one explanation: Pharaoh Ramses III had been assassinated.Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseAudio Engineer: John JacobsVideo Producer: Tejas BhatSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac, Rasputin, and Gandhi met their end.

For over 3000 years, the death of Pharaoh Ramses III was one of history's great mysteries.Then, in 2012, scientists cracked the case, revealing that Ramses III, the last of Egypt's Great Pharaohs, had been assassinated.But how did they do it?Science journalist Maddie Massy joins Aslan Pahari to dig deep into this discovery, and how scientists use cutting edge technology to reveal secrets from the past.Host: Aslan PahariSpecial co-host: Maddie MassyProducer: Hannah JoseAudio Engineer: John JacobsVideo Producer: Tejas Bhat, Lewis IsaacsSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac, Rasputin, and Gandhi met their end.

You'd never expect to see an assassination broadcast on live TV.But that's exactly what happened in 2023.In the badlands of India's most populous state, a gangster-turned-politician met his end while millions watched.So what did the notorious Atiq Ahmed do to get himself publicly executed? How did his assassins get through a police escort to reach him?And who was powerful enough to give the order?Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseAudio Engineer: John JacobsVideo Producer: Tejas BhatSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end.

Tupac Shakur was a poet. A performer. A radical. He might have only been alive for 25 years, but in that time, he became the voice of his generation. And then one night, after a fight in Las Vegas, he was shot four times and left for dead. This is his story.How he lived. How he fought. And how, nearly three decades later, his murder is still being untangled and interrogated.Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseSound: John JacobsVideo Producer: Tejas BhatResearcher: Mateo BaskaranSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end.

As the longest serving Prime Minister in Japan's history, Shinzo Abe deserved a relaxing retirement. Instead, he was out on the campaign trail for a colleague when an assassin's bullet struck.But this wasn't a politically motivated kill.It was actually connected to a global cult-like religion. And a young man whose mother was in too deep.Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseAudio Engineer: John JacobsVideo Producer: Tejas BhatSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchSupervising Producer: Kyla SlavenExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end.

July 2024. Donald Trump is speaking at a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania when his speech is interrupted by a volley of gunshots.Trump instinctively touches his right ear and drops to the ground where he's swarmed by his security detail — who quickly move to get him out of the firing line.Surrounded by security, blood streaming down the right side of his face, Trump raises a fist to the crowd in what becomes the iconic shot of the campaign.But did you know that this wasn't the first attempt on Trump's life?Today, the many attempts to assassinate Donald Trump, from Ricin to rifles.Host: Aslan PahariSpecial co-host: Hannah JoseProducer: Hannah JoseAudio Engineer: John JacobsVideo Producer: Tejas Bhat, Lewis IsaacsSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac, Rasputin, and Gandhi met their end.

In 2020, Iran's top nuclear scientist, Professor Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was gunned down on a remote stretch of road outside Tehran.But as the dust settled, one thing stood out as being particularly strange.Apart from the victim, his wife, and their security detail, there was no one else around.No assailants, no witnesses, and no collateral damage.Israel was the prime suspect.Had they just enacted one of the most technologically advanced assassinations of all time?Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseSound: John JacobsVideo Producer: Tejas BhatSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac, Rasputin, and Gandhi met their end.

Editor's note (22/12/2025): In this episode, we discuss how, under Gandhi's leadership, the spinning wheel became a symbol of rebellion in India. We then say, "Which is why, to this day, that wheel appears on the Indian flag." This is incorrect. Although it is true that the spinning wheel featured on an earlier version of the Indian flag, in 1947 it was replaced by the Ashoka Chakra.Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian activist who helped topple the British Empire, wasn't killed by colonisers, but by one of his own.When the struggle against the British was won, and India gained its independence, the ghosts of Partition lingered.And finally caught up with the man of peace.Why did Mahatma Gandhi, a man known for non-violence, meet such a violent end?Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseSound: John JacobsVideo Producer: Tejas BhatSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac, Rasputin, and Gandhi met their end.

Hosted by Marc Fennell, No One Saw It Coming is a podcast that focuses on moments in history that seemed inconsequential but turned out to be momentous. And in the episode that we're bringing you today, one of the most infamous assassinations of all time — that of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.It's the event that's seen as the trigger for World War One, but it didn't happen quite the way the history books let on…Australian author Paul Ham tells Marc Fennell (Stuff the British Stole, Mastermind) what really happened on the 28th of June 1914, when the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne Archduke Franz Ferdinand visited the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo.Far from a meticulously planned and executed assassination, the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand might not have happened at all, were it not for one fateful wrong turn that put him right in the path of the man who would murder him. And the deaths of millions could have been avoided altogether without the desperate need for colonial powers to defend their empires.Binge all the episodes of No One Saw It Coming now on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.

Each week on If You're Listening, host Matt Bevan explains the biggest story in world news while hiding in his basement from assassins (not us!) and authoritarian regimes.In this episode, Matt brings you the story of the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.In the early hours of July 31 this year, Haniyeh was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran. It's presumed Israel was behind the killing, with reports detailing a complex operation by its spy agency Mossad. So if it was Israel that did this, why did they do it in such an extraordinary manner, and in Iran of all places? The answer tells us a lot about the complex political situation Israel finds itself in, where it feels the need for revenge, but only in a way that doesn't alienate its allies.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app, or check out the series on YouTube.

Five months before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Afghan resistance commander Ahmad Shah Massoud warned the western world that Al Qaeda was planning something big.But no one took him seriously.And just two days before they committed the most lethal terrorist attack in history, Al Qaeda assassinated Massoud too.But in the carnage that followed, the world barely noticed.Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseAudio Engineer: John JacobsVideo Producer: Tejas BhatSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchSupervising Producer: Kyla SlavenExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end.

It's said that Rasputin, the so-called 'mad monk', had supernatural abilities, could hypnotise people, and was quite the philanderer…It's also said that he was incredibly tricky to assassinate.But how much of that is true?And what's with people claiming to have preserved his severed penis in a jar?Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseAudio Engineer: John JacobsVideo Producer: Tejas BhatSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchSupervising Producer: Kyla SlavenExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end.

Indira Gandhi, India's first and only female Prime Minister, had many enemies.But after her government ordered tanks to fire on the Golden Temple, one of Sikhism's holiest sites, the backlash became inevitable.Little did she know that her assassin would come from her most trusted inner circle…Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseAudio Engineer: John JacobsVideo Producer: Tejas BhatSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchSupervising Producer: Kyla SlavenExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end.

When Indigenous woman Berta Cáceres helps organise a months-long blockade against multinationals in Honduras she immediately becomes a target.It's 2016, and Honduras is the deadliest country per capita for environmental activists.But Berta and the Lenca people refuse to back down.Their sacred river is at stake.Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseAudio Engineer: Tegan NichollsVideo Producers: Chloe Farrington, Tejas BhatSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchSupervising Producer: Kyla SlavenExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end.

In 1975 a young Saudi prince entered the royal palace and shot dead the king, Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.The killing was both personal and political, linked to the death of a brother, the tension between tradition and modernisation, and the introduction of television to the desert kingdom.Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseAudio Engineer: Tegan NichollsVideo Producers: Chloe Farrington, Tejas BhatSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchSupervising Producer: Kyla SlavenExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end.