These notorious assassination attempts were not the result of a lone gunman. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at some of the U.S. Government’s most heinous assassination attempts.
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00:00He was a bit of a snoop, who poked his nose around in a lot of dangerous places where he really didn't belong.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at some of the U.S. government's most infamous assassination attempts.
00:15Gaddafi was a dashing figure who quickly created a cult of personality, dressed in flashy outfits that bordered on costume.
00:24Drone strikes in Pakistan
00:27Dozens of highly skilled al-Qaeda commanders, trainers, bomb makers, and operatives have been taken off the battlefield.
00:34Between 2004 and 2018, U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan killed up to 3,500 militants and hundreds of civilians, including children.
00:43These strikes lasted through three U.S. presidencies, beginning during Bush's administration, then ramping up under Obama, before finally ceasing one year after Trump entered office.
00:52The campaign primarily targeted Taliban and al-Qaeda militants hiding in Pakistan's tribal regions, but it was met with criticism for the significant number of civilian casualties.
01:02There were also regular attacks on NATO supply convoys heading through the Khyber Pass for Afghanistan.
01:08The most infamous case was the 2011 strike that killed Bayatullah Massoud, a notorious Pakistani Taliban leader.
01:15While the U.S. argued the strikes were essential for national security, many condemned them for infringing on Pakistan's sovereignty and violating human rights.
01:23There is a threat in this region, not just in Pakistan, but across the region. I've seen absolutely nothing but gratitude for what we are delivering.
01:32Anwar al-Awlaki
01:34For many, Anwar al-Awlaki was a paradox, an American citizen, Western-educated and fluent in English, who rejected his own background in favor of the ideology of al-Qaeda.
01:46Born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents, Anwar al-Awlaki was the first American citizen to be targeted and killed by a U.S. drone strike.
01:55Al-Awlaki was a cleric and influential figure in al-Qaeda, who was considered one of the group's most dangerous members due to the attacks he inspired against the West.
02:03Over the past two years, Awlaki had been connected to three attacks against America.
02:08Officials say his emails inspired accused Fort Hood gunman, Major Nidal Hassan.
02:13He was linked to the 2009 Fort Hood shooting and the failed underwear bomber plot, in which a man attempted to detonate explosives sewn into his underwear on a commercial airliner.
02:23In 2011, Obama ordered a drone strike in Yemen, which killed al-Awlaki, sparking intense debate over the legality of the action.
02:31Some argued it was necessary to prevent future attacks, while others warned it set a dangerous precedent.
02:37Awlaki, one of the most wanted terrorists in the world, walked out and climbed into a pickup truck. A huge break.
02:46Rafael Trujillo
02:48Rafael Trujillo was a notorious dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic with an iron fist from 1930 to 1961.
02:55Under his rule, human rights violations like mass killings, torture, and censorship were rampant.
03:01Despite his extremely far-right ideology, the U.S. initially supported Trujillo due to his anti-communist beliefs and pro-American stance.
03:10The future will crown the brave, the hard-working people, and we will walk towards it with confidence, shielded by our commitment to serve humanity.
03:21However, over time, these relations deteriorated, especially when Trujillo tried to assassinate Venezuelan President Romelon Betancourt.
03:28The CIA then orchestrated a plot to eliminate him, and in 1961, he was ambushed and killed by Dominican rebels supported by the agency.
03:37His death created a power vacuum and ultimately resulted in a civil war, after which the U.S. supported the election of another far-right leader, Joaquin Balaguer, Patrice Lumumba.
03:48Patrice Lumumba became the Congo's first prime minister after it gained independence in 1960.
03:53But he was only in office for a few months before he fell out with the country's former colonial ruler.
03:59As the first prime minister of Congo, Patrice Lumumba was a charismatic and humanist leader who garnered widespread support with his message of unity and self-determination.
04:08However, soon after Lumumba took office, an army mutiny broke out, which caused him to seek help from the United States and the UN.
04:16With a delayed response from both parties, he turned to the Soviet Union, a move that alarmed the U.S. amid Cold War tensions.
04:23Patrice Lumumba's tooth is all that was left of him after he was killed. Belgium returning it to his family is being welcomed as a first step.
04:32As a result, the U.S. supported a coup led by Colonel Joseph Mabutu, during which Lumumba was captured and executed by firing squad.
04:40This action seemed to have been supported by President Dwight Eisenhower, who reportedly once said he wished Lumumba would, quote, fall into a river full of crocodiles.
04:54Salvador Allende
05:01All resistance inside Laminada was now at an end. The prisoners were forced out into the street, where firing continued between soldiers and the snipers in the Ministry of Public Works.
05:13In 1970, Salvador Allende became the first democratically elected Marxist president of Chile.
05:19However, his election was vehemently opposed by Richard Nixon, who viewed Allende as a threat to U.S. interests in South America.
05:26Under Nixon's administration, the CIA authorized Project Foobelt, a covert operation aimed at destabilizing Chile and removing Allende from power.
05:36By 1973, these efforts culminated in U.S.-backed military officials storming the presidential palace to overthrow him.
05:44Allende refused to resign and delivered a final radio address emphasizing his commitment to democracy.
05:50His dead body was pulled out from the national palace during a U.S.-backed military coup that helped define the Cold War.
05:57It is believed that he then ended his life with his own rifle, although many still dispute this ruling.
06:03Following the coup, Chile fell under a repressive military dictatorship that lasted until 1990.
06:10Operation Condor
06:14Operation Condor was a campaign to politically repress and terrorize South America in the 70s and 80s.
06:20It began in 1975 and involved the collaboration of numerous right-wing dictatorships, including Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.
06:30These governments collaborated closely, shared intelligence that enabled cross-border kidnapping and extortion.
06:38America provided significant financial support, and it resulted in the disappearance of thousands.
06:43It remains one of the most severe violations of human rights in history.
06:48With an estimated 60 to 80% of all human rights violated in the United States,
06:54the United States is the only country in the world that has not violated human rights.
07:00It remains one of the most severe violations of human rights in history.
07:05With an estimated 60 to 80,000 people killed or vanished, its legacy still haunts those nations today,
07:12and it stands as a frightening example of the lengths the U.S. went to to suppress left-wing dissent.
07:18Many of these military regimes had negotiated their own way out of power.
07:25Many included a provision of impunity because, of course, the military regimes wanted to make sure
07:32that what had been taking place during their time in power would not be investigated.
07:39Muammar Gaddafi
07:50Muammar Gaddafi was a controversial dictator who ruled Libya from 1969 until 2011.
07:56He came into power in a coup which overthrew the previous king,
07:59and established an authoritarian regime featuring a unique blend of socialism and Arab nationalism.
08:05During his rule, he regularly violated human rights and supported numerous militant groups around the world,
08:11giving him a reputation as a sponsor of terrorism.
08:14In 2011, the Arab Spring sparked widespread uprisings across the region, including Libya,
08:20where it resulted in Gaddafi's government being overthrown.
08:23He created an insular world that he ruled with an iron fist.
08:27As you drove through the streets of Tripoli, the capital, his image was everywhere,
08:32and he loomed large within even his own family.
08:35The unrest soon escalated into a civil war, which NATO promptly intervened in.
08:40Backed by the US and NATO, Libyan rebels ultimately captured and killed Gaddafi in October 2011.
08:47The president also delighted.
08:49Most importantly, I'm proud of what the Libyan people have achieved,
08:53and I think they've got an enormous opportunity ahead of them.
08:56Ngo Dinh Diem
08:58Ngo Dinh Diem became South Vietnam's first president after the withdrawal of France from the region.
09:04His leadership was strongly supported by the United States due to his staunch opposition to communism.
09:09However, Diem was an inhumane leader whose regime was marked by repressive policies and the persecution of Buddhists.
09:16Seeing his rule as increasingly unstable, the Kennedy administration, through the CIA,
09:21ultimately sanctioned a group of South Vietnamese generals to stage a coup.
09:25This November 1963 coup proved successful, and Diem and his brother were eventually captured and assassinated.
09:32Diem and his brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, had fled the palace in disguise.
09:36They were later captured, only to die in an armored car that was taking them to prison.
09:40The event only deepened the regional instability, leading to a succession of weak governments
09:46and drawing the US further into the devastating conflict that was the Vietnam War.
09:51Che Guevara
09:52I think harmonious relations with the US would be very good for us,
09:58from the economical point of view, more than in any other field.
10:04One of the key figures in the Cuban Revolution, Che Guevara was instrumental in helping Fidel Castro
10:10overthrow the US-backed regime of Fulgencio Batista in 1959.
10:15He soon became an advocate for spreading socialism worldwide, leading guerrilla efforts in Africa and Latin America.
10:21After getting involved in the Congo crisis, Guevara moved to Bolivia to ignite a rebellion against the government,
10:27but he struggled to gain local support.
10:29His insurgency was soon cornered by the Bolivian army, with support from the CIA,
10:33which sought to curb communist influence in Latin America.
10:36In October 1967, Guevara was captured and executed under orders from the Bolivian government with CIA approval.
10:44His death turned him into a martyr for revolutionary causes worldwide.
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11:04Osama bin Laden
11:05She says Osama bin Laden didn't communicate with his al-Qaeda associates for three years because he was on the run.
11:13It's still unknown exactly where he was hiding.
11:15In 2011, Operation Neptune Spear, a covert military operation, successfully located and assassinated Osama bin Laden,
11:23the al-Qaeda founder and mastermind behind the September 11th attacks.
11:27Bin Laden evaded capture for nearly a decade, but the CIA eventually tracked him down to a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
11:35Osama!
11:36Osama!
11:44Osama!
11:45Acting on this intelligence, President Obama dispatched a team of Navy SEALs to infiltrate the compound under the cover of night.
11:52Bin Laden was killed in the raid, his identity confirmed, and his body later buried at sea to prevent any grave from becoming a symbol.
12:00Although the legal and ethical aspects of the killing remain controversial, it was a major victory for the U.S., ending the reign of the world's most notorious terrorist.
12:09Any station, this is Red Zero Two. We need a body bag.
12:13Were there any other cold-blooded American assassination plots we missed? Let us know in the comments below.
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