World leaders with the most assassination attempts

History is full of leaders who’ve stared death in the face and lived to tell the tale. Whether dictators or democratically elected heads of state, many have dodged bullets (literally) more than once, thanks to sharp security teams, wild luck, or pure grit. These brushes with assassination didn’t just make headlines—they helped build larger-than-life reputations. And in some cases, surviving an attempt wasn’t just a personal victory—it became a political turning point that boosted their power and influence.

From near-death escapes to comeback stories, click through the gallery to meet the leaders who turned assassination attempts into chapters of their legend.

Yasser Arafat

Seen as a freedom fighter by some and a terrorist by others, Yasser Arafat made powerful enemies. His role at the helm of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Palestinian National Authority placed him in the sights of multiple assassins.

Arafat once said he never slept in the same place twice to dodge assassins who targeted him repeatedly. After his death, rumors of polonium poisoning surfaced, but forensic results remain inconclusive.

Josip Broz Tito

Stalin once threatened, “I will shake my little finger, and there will be no more Tito,” even sending assassins to prove his point. Tito nonchalantly replied: “Stop sending people to kill me. We’ve already captured five of them.”

Tito even countered Stalin’s assassination attempts by threatening to send a killer to Moscow if they didn’t stop. In 1953, Stalin died 27 years before Tito, who continued to lead Yugoslavia with defiance until his death.

Tsar Alexander II

Emperor Alexander II, known as "The Liberator," introduced key reforms, like emancipating 23 million serfs and granting them citizenship. But his efforts sparked fierce opposition from revolutionaries and Polish nationalists, who tried to assassinate him at least six times.

After surviving four more attempts on his life, Alexander II’s luck ran out; he was killed in the street by members of the revolutionary socialist group Narodnaya Volya, marking the tragic end of his reign.

Abraham Lincoln

Assassination plots against Lincoln ranged from a knife attack in Baltimore to sending him disease-infected clothes. He also survived two shooting attempts and even a plan to blow up the White House!

Queen Victoria

Royal life isn’t all crowns and comfort—just ask Queen Victoria, who survived around eight assassination attempts, most while out in her carriage. Apparently, a royal ride was as risky as it was regal.

Luckily for Queen Victoria, most attackers had lousy aim or weren't prepared. She survived them all, ruling for over 63 years, longer than any monarch before her, while lending her name to an entire era.

Pope John Paul II

Just a year after being shot, Pope John Paul II dodged another attempt, this time from a defrocked priest with a bayonet. Thankfully, security intervened before the attack could go any further.

Adolf Hitler

Before and during WWII, many Germans took it upon themselves to stop Hitler, seeing his leadership as a path to disaster. These would-be assassins were driven by a belief that removing him was Germany's only hope.

Unfortunately for Stauffenberg, the leg of the conference table protected Hitler from the blast, only resulting in a singed pair of trousers. The assassination attempt failed, and Hitler narrowly escaped death once again.

Charles de Gaulle

In 1962, de Gaulle became a target of the Organisation armée secrète (OAS), a French group angered by his decision to grant Algeria independence. The OAS ambushed his car with machine gun fire, but de Gaulle narrowly escaped.

King Zog I

From PM to President to King, Ahmed Bey Zogu, better known as Zog I of Albania, reportedly dodged 55 assassination attempts. His push to unify the nation came at the cost of civil liberties, earning him both a crown and a long list of enemies.

Despite surviving dozens of assassination attempts and chain-smoking up to 200 cigarettes a day, King Zog I defied the odds and lived to 65, ultimately passing away from an unspecified illness in a French hospital.

Fidel Castro

Castro’s ex-lover Marita Lorenz was sent to poison him, but when she arrived in Havana, he handed her his gun and said, “You can’t kill me. Nobody can kill me.” Needless to say, she didn’t pull the trigger.