10 Assassinations That Happened In The Last Decade

10 Assassinations That Happened In The Last Decade

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be looking at the most shocking high-profile assassinations that have occurred over the last ten years.

Fernando Villavicencio

From 2021 to 2023, Fernando Villavicencio served as a member of the Ecuadorian National Assembly. In May 2023, amid impeachment proceedings against then-President Guillermo Lasso, the constitutional measure of muerte cruzada was invoked, prompting fresh general elections. Villavicencio soon declared his candidacy for president, running under the Movimiento Construye party. On August 9th 2023, just 11 days before the elections, Villavicencio was fatally shot during a campaign rally in the capital city of Quito. A shootout ensued between the attackers and police officers, resulting in the death of one assailant. Shortly after, a criminal group known as Los Lobos claimed responsibility for the attack, but doubts have been raised about the authenticity of their claim.

Idriss Déby Itno

For over three decades, Idriss Déby Itno served as the president of Chad. Déby initially assumed power in 1990, after leading rebel troops to oust then-President Hissène Habré, under whom he previously served as commander-in-chief of the army. In April 2021, during his bid for a sixth term, the insurgent group Front for Change and Concord in Chad launched an attack in the northern region. Déby subsequently traveled to the frontlines to support Chadian soldiers fighting the incursion. However, he suffered serious injuries during this engagement and ultimately succumbed to them on April 20th, just one day after he was declared the election winner. Following his death, a Transitional Military Council assumed control, with Déby’s son, Mahamat, serving as chairman.

Jamal Khashoggi

On October 2nd 2018, Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey and never came out alive. For years, Khashoggi had been a prominent critic of the Saudi government and had gone into a self-imposed exile after fleeing the country in 2017. Khashoggi had visited the consulate to collect documents for his impending marriage when he was killed by agents reportedly acting on the orders of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudi government initially denied the murder ever happened, but eventually acknowledged it weeks later, although they insisted it was not orchestrated by bin Salman. Khashoggi’s death sparked global outrage and led to widespread calls for sanctions against the Saudi government.

Paweł Adamowicz

On January 13th 2019, thousands gathered in the city of Gdańsk for the grand finale of the 27th Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, Poland’s largest annual charity event. That evening, the mayor of Gdańsk, Paweł Adamowicz, took the stage to express his gratitude to donors and supporters. Just after finishing his speech, a man named Stefan Wilmont unexpectedly appeared on stage and attacked Adamowicz with a knife. He then grabbed the microphone and declared that he had carried out the attack because he was falsely imprisoned by Adamowicz’s former party, the Civic Platform. Adamowicz was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent surgery. However, he tragically succumbed to his injuries the next day.

David Amess

Sir David Amess was a British Conservative Party politician who began serving as a Member of Parliament in 1997. On October 15th 2021, Amess conducted a constituency surgery where he engaged one-on-one with his constituents. Among those scheduled to meet with him was 25-year-old Ali Harbi Ali. In the course of their conversation, Ali brandished a knife with which he inflicted severe injuries on the MP. Amess died shortly after at the crime scene, despite the efforts of medical personnel. After police arrived, Ali was taken into custody where he revealed his affiliation with the Islamic State and his long-standing plan to assassinate a British politician. He was eventually convicted of murder and preparing terrorist acts, receiving a life sentence.

Aristóteles Sandoval

Between 2013 and 2018, Aristóteles Sandoval served as the governor of the Mexican state of Jalisco. His tenure saw the emergence of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a powerful criminal organization in Mexico. On December 18th 2020, Sandoval was having dinner at a restaurant in Puerto Vallarta when he was shot in the bathroom. Although critically injured, the initial shots didn’t prove fatal. However, when his bodyguards attempted to rush him to the hospital, they were ambushed by another group of gunmen who unleashed a second round of bullets. Sandoval was killed while one of his bodyguards sustained severe injuries. In April 2022, the Mexican Army shot and killed Saúl Alejandro Rincón Godoy, whom they alleged orchestrated Sandoval’s assassination.

Andrei Karlov

On December 19th 2016, Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, was giving a speech at an art exhibition when he was fatally shot by Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş, an off-duty Turkish cop. The shocking incident occurred before a crowd that included journalists and photographers, one of whom captured unsettling pictures of the aftermath. Karlov’s assassination appeared to have been motivated by Altıntaş’ outrage over Russian military involvement in the Syrian civil war and the conflict in Aleppo. Altıntaş not only killed the ambassador, but he also injured several other people present in the hall. He was ultimately gunned down by Turkish law enforcement. Following the tragedy, the exhibition hall was renamed in the honor of Andrei Karlov.

Jovenel Moïse

The Caribbean nation of Haiti was thrust into turmoil with the shocking assassination of its president, Jovenel Moïse, on July 7th 2021. The incident occurred at Moïse’s residence in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Several assailants stormed the house in the early hours of the morning, fatally shooting Moïse and critically injuring his wife Martine. It is believed that Moïse was targeted by corrupt members of Haiti’s elite, whom he was planning to expose before his death. In the aftermath of the tragedy, an international investigation ensued which implicated a group of foreign mercenaries, as well as some Haitian individuals, in the assassination. The incident exacerbated Haiti’s existing crises, leaving the country in an even more unstable state.

Kim Jong-nam

Kim Jong-nam, the older half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, was initially set to succeed their father. However, he reportedly fell out of favor in 2001 following an embarrassing incident that led to his arrest in Tokyo. After his half-brother assumed leadership, Kim Jong-nam believed an order to have him killed was issued. His suspicions seemingly materialized on February 13th 2017, when he was accosted by two women at a Malaysian airport who sprayed him with the deadly VX nerve agent. About 20 minutes later, Kim Jong-nam was dead. Upon their arrest, the women argued that they thought they were participating in a prank show - a claim apparently supported by CCTV footage. As a result, the murder charges against them were dropped.

Shinzo Abe

The assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Shinzo Abe, stunned many around the world. Abe was the longest-serving prime minister in Japan’s history, leading the nation from 2006 to 2007, and again from 2012 to 2020, when he resigned due to health reasons. On July 8th 2022, Abe was campaigning for his party candidates when he was gunned down by Tetsuya Yamagami with a homemade firearm. This was particularly shocking in a country where gun violence is uncommon. Yamagami was swiftly arrested and admitted to shooting Abe due to the politician’s ties with the Unification Church, which had reportedly bankrupted his mother. He was charged with the murder, as well as for violating Japan’s Weapon Manufacturing Law.

Which of these assassinations shocked you the most? Let us know in the comments below.