When a leader won't let go...

Following is a chronological list of some major assassinations of heads of state since the end of World War II:leader Mohandas Gandhi, Jan. 30, 1948; shot by a Hindu fanatic while walking to a prayer meeting in New Delhi.

King Faisal II of Iraq in 1952; killed when army troops stormed royal palace in Baghdad in coup led by Brig. Gen. Abdul Karin Kassem.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Liaquate Ali Khan, Oct. 16, 1951; shot at public meeting.

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Solomon Bandaranaike, Sept. 25, 1959; killed by monk.

Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza Garcia in 1956; killed by assassin's bullet.

Domincan Republic dictator Rafael Leonida Trujillo Molina May 30, 1961; killed when gunmen attacked his car in Ciudad Trujillo. The assassins, including Brig. Gen. Juan Tomas Diaz, were later captured and executed.

South Vietnam President Ngo Dinh Diem, Nov. 2, 1963; apparently assassinated by rebel forces along with brother although rebels claimed the pair committed suicide.

President John F. Kennedy, Nov. 22, 1963; fatally shot as he rode in open car through Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald, charged with the crime, fatally shot two days later by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby, who died before he could be brought to trial.

Prime Minister Henrik Verwoerd of South Africa, Sept. 6, 1966; stabbed to death on Parliament floor by messenger.

King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, March 25, 1975; stabbed at his royal palace in Riyadh by nephew.

Bangladesh President Mujibur Rahman, Aug. 15, 1975; assassinated with wife and five children in coup by rightist, pro-Pakistan army officers. He led his nation to independence from Pakistan in 1971.

South Korea President Park Chung Hee, Oct. 26, 1979; shot to death by head of Korean Central Intelligence Agency.

Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman, May 30, 1981; shot with eight aides at government house in port city of Chittagong by rebels commanded by demoted general who subsequently was captured and killed.

Iran's President Mohammed Ali Rajai and Prime Minister Hojjatoleslam Mohammed Javad Bahonar, Aug. 30, 1981; killed by bomb at prime minister's office.



Bolivian President Maj. Gualberto Villaroel in 1946; killed by lynch mob in La Paz.

Lebanon's President-elect Beshir Gemayel, Sept. 14, 1982; killed in bombing of his Beirut party headquarters.

Grenada's Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, Oct 19, 1983; killed by militant Marxists. The United States led an invasion six days later and ousted new regime.

India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Oct. 31, 1984; shot by Sikh members of her own security guard outside her home in

New Delhi.

Sweden's Prime Minister Olof Palme, Feb. 28, 1985; shot at least twice at close range minutes after he left a movie theater with his wife.


Oh-I forgot one!!! Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Oct. 6, 1981; killed by fanatic Moslem gunmen during Cairo military parade.