Just 2 Seconds (37 page)

250.
Date: November 2, 1995
Target: Former Presidential Candidate Alvaro G. Hurtado
Location: Bogota, Colombia
Details: Two gunmen attacked and killed Hurtado and his aide on the grounds of the university that he had founded. Hurtado was shot four times, and a bodyguard and street vendor were wounded.

251.
Date: November 4, 1995
Target: Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Details: Rabin addressed a peace rally of about 250,000 people. Afterwards, he walked from the stage to his car. As he reached his limousine, Yigal Amir approached from the rear and shot Rabin in the back twice with a 9mm Beretta. He fired a third shot that wounded one of Rabin's bodyguards. The wounded guard pushed Rabin into the car and they sped him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Amir was overpowered and arrested. He had made three unsuccessful attempts to kill Rabin over a two-year period, but could not get close enough during those attempts.

252.
Date: November 20, 1995
Target: Chechen Leader Doku Zavgayev
Location: Grozny, Russia
Details: A bomb exploded as Zavgayev's motorcade went by and bullets sprayed down from rooftops. Zavgayev suffered glass cuts to the face and several bodyguards were wounded.

253.
Date: January 5, 1996
Target: Terrorist Leader Yehiya Ayyash
Location: Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip
Details: Ayyash was killed when he held a booby-trapped cellular telephone to his head and it exploded. Known as "The Engineer," he was the bomb maker for Hamas and responsible for seven bombings that killed 55 and wounded 300. Israeli intelligence agents were blamed for his death.

254.
Date: February 13, 1996
Target: Lawmaker Alex Vengerovsky
Location: Moscow, Russia
Details: Vengerovsky was shot and wounded by two gunmen while he was walking his dog near his home. He was hospitalized with a wound to his kneecap.

255.
Date: February 14, 1996
Target: Former Top Judge Francisco Valiente
Location: Madrid, Spain
Details: Valiente was shot three times in the head and killed while at his office. The gunmen were believed to be ETA terrorists.

256.
Date: April 23, 1996
Target: Deputy Prime Minister B. Dzhamalkhanov
Location: Grozny, Russia
Details: Gunmen opened fire on Dzhamalkhanov's car as he was going to work, wounding him and killing two bodyguards.

257.
Date: May 23, 1996
Target: Deputy Minister Anatoly Stepanov
Location: Moscow, Russia
Details: Stepanov was killed in his apartment. Early reports indicated he was shot, but police announced that he died from a blow to the head.

258.
Date: May 24, 1996
Target: Lawyer William Rodriguez
Location: Cali, Colombia
Details: Eight gunmen opened fire as Rodriguez was having lunch in a restaurant, wounding him in the throat, arm, and leg. At least five others, including some bodyguards, were killed.

259.
Date: September 20, 1996
Target: Former Prime Minister Benazir Buto
Location: Pakistan
Details: Buto was assassinated with seven of his bodyguards, during a police shoot-out and raid on his home. Some claimed that the police planned the incident in order to kill Buto's bodyguards without inflicting any harm on him. This was to be achieved by creating an incident where force and live ammunition would be used to dispose of his bodyguards illegally and without a cause.

260.
Date: October 2, 1996
Target: Premier Andrei Lukanov
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
Details: A gunman shot and killed Lukanov at 9:20 a.m. in front of his apartment building.

261.
Date: October 21, 1996
Target: Mayor Ali Boucetta
Location: Algiers, Algeria
Details: A gun battle erupted between 13 Muslim militants and Boucetta's police entourage as his motorcade passed by. Boucetta was shot and killed.

262.
Date: November 3, 1996
Target: Businessman Paul Tatum
Location: Moscow, Russia
Details: After he left his office accompanied by two bodyguards, two gunmen shot Tatum 11 times in the back of his head and neck with an AK-47 in an underground passageway outside the Kiev railway station. He had been involved in business disputes over a luxury hotel. Tatum believed he might be killed by the Mafia and was wearing body armor at the time of the attack.

263.
Date: December 12, 1996
Target: Uday Hussein (President Hussein's son)
Location: Baghdad, Iraq
Details: Saddam's heir apparent, Uday, was seriously injured in an ambush when his armored sports car was riddled with automatic weapons fire from two gunmen. He had left his bodyguards behind. Though injured, Uday survived the attack. Several bodyguards were reportedly executed for not providing adequate protection.
(2-STARS: Protective Strategies or Resources at the scene favorably influenced safety/survival.)

264.
Date: January 15, 1997
Target: Deputy Chairman Abraham Adesanya
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Details: Gunmen opened fire on Adesanya's car, but he suffered only minor injuries. He went into hiding after the attack and blamed it on the military government.

265.
Date: January 18, 1997
Target: Parliament Candidate Azim Tariq
Location: Lahore, Pakistan
Details: A bomb exploded as Tariq and Zia-ul Rehman, both Sunni leaders on trial for murder, got out of their police van and were being showered with rose petals by supporters in front of the courthouse. The blast killed Rehman and 25 others, including police and journalists. Tariq and dozens more were wounded. Rival Shiite Muslims were blamed.

266.
Date: January 28, 1997
Target: Union Leader Abdelhak Benhamouda
Location: Algiers, Algeria
Details: A gunman opened fire, killing Benhamouda, another union official, and a bodyguard. More than 60,000 died during five years of insurgency.

267.
Date: February 4, 1997
Target: Roman Catholic Bishop Benjamin de Jesus
Location: Jolo, Philippines
Details: Two attackers shot de Jesus six times in the head and body as he walked outside his cathedral, killing him and a bystander and wounding five others.

268.
Date: February 10, 1997
Target: Supreme Court Judge Rafael M. Emperador
Location: Madrid, Spain
Details: Two gunmen shot and killed Emperador outside his home. The assassination came as the court was putting pressure on Basque separatists. ETA terrorists killed almost 800 people between 1968 and 1997.

269.
Date: February 10, 1997
Target: Mayor Safet Orucevic
Location: Mostar, Bosnia
Details: Croat gunmen fired on about 200 Muslims who were visiting a cemetery on a religious holiday, killing one and wounding many. Orucevic was beaten and the city's Islamic leader, Seid Smajkic, had a minor gunshot wound.

270.
Date: February 11, 1997
Target: Legislator Nalanda Ellawala
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Details: Mahinda Ratnatilleke, a former opposition party mayor, gunned down Ellawal during a local election campaign. A second suspect remained at large, as of 2006.

271.
Date: February 14, 1997
Target: Supreme Court Judge V. Nkezabaganwa
Location: Kigali, Rwanda
Details: Three uniformed gunmen opened fire on his car as it pulled into the driveway of his home. He was killed along with his driver and a neighbor.

272.
Date: March 30, 1997
Target: Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy
Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Details: Four grenades were thrown from a passing car into a political rally in front of the National Assembly building. One grenade exploded about ten meters from Rainsy, killing one of his bodyguards. Of the 200 people in the crowd, between 16 and 20 were killed and 150 wounded, including Rainsey. A unit of heavily-armed troops in full combat assault uniforms was positioned near the KNP speech platform. According to local media reports, these soldiers made no attempt to apprehend the attackers and prevented KNP supporters from doing so.

273.
Date: April 12, 1997
Target: Deputy Interior Minister Radovan Stojicic
Location: Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Details: A masked gunman shot and killed Stojicic, who oversaw public security for President Milosevic, while Stojicic was dining in a popular eating place, which he frequented. Stojicic sat with his son and a friend, who was wounded. The assassin fired seven bullets into Stojicic and only one of them missed. The gunman fired three more bullets into the window on his way out, just to make sure no one tried to stop him, but no one else was hurt. The whole incident lasted only a few seconds. Stojicic had given his bodyguards the night off.

274.
Date: April 28, 1997
Target: Vice President of the House of Representatives Julio Enrique Acosta
Location: Bogota, Colombia
Details: A bomb detonated by remote control injured Acosta and killed one of his bodyguards. The rebel National Liberation Army is suspected.

275.
Date: April 30, 1997
Target: President Emomali Rakhmonov
Location: Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Details: An assassin hurled a grenade at Rakmonov after he emerged from his car and was shaking hands with people outside a theater. The grenade went off near his feet, killing two and wounding 58, including Rakmonov. Two suspects were arrested.

276.
Date: May 2, 1997
Target: Culture Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy
Location: Lourdes, France
Details: A man with a history of mental problems attacked Blazy with a knife, wounding him in the shoulder. The assailant then fled to a cafe, where police found him sipping a drink.

277.
Date: June 15, 1997
Target: Sports Club Executive Larisa Nechayeva
Location: Moscow, Russia
Details: Gunmen killed Nechayeva, shooting her in the head and chest at her country house. It was the Russian sports world's second contract killing in three months. Organized crime groups have targeted sports organizations, seeking a cut of their lucrative profits.

278.
Date: June 29, 1997
Target: Legislative Candidate Mohammad R. Bangi
Location: Kashmir
Details: A blast in a high-security complex for state lawmakers who have been threatened, killed Bangi and two guests, and wounded two others. The complex is one of the most well guarded buildings in the city.

279.
Date: August 8, 1997
Target: Senator Jorge Cristo
Location: Bogota, Colombia
Details: Six assailants (two men and four women) shot Cristo six times after getting out of his car outside his office. His bodyguard was also killed. Police blamed leftist guerrillas. Cristo was a close political ally of President Samper.

280.
Date: September 25, 1997
Target: Hamas Leader Khalid Mashaal
Location: Amman, Jordan
Details: Two Mossad agents injected poison into Mashaal's ear as he entered his office. He collapsed and was hospitalized with breathing problems, but recovered. Mashaal's bodyguards chased down and captured the agents. Israeli President Netanyahu was blamed for the assassination attempt. Mashaal is the top figure in Hamas, which has killed many Israeli citizens.

281.
Date: October 24, 1997
Target: Business Leader Zoran Todorovic
Location: Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Details: A gunman shot Todorovic in the head at close range as he got out of his Mercedes at the office, killing him. His bodyguard was shot and seriously wounded. The gunman fled down the crowded streets and escaped. Todorovic was the third high-ranking member of President Milosevic's circle to be gunned down this year.

282.
Date: November 6, 1997
Target: Venezuelan Ambassador Alfredo Enrique Vargas
Location: Kingston, Jamaica
Details: A gunman shot and killed Vargas in his third floor apartment.

283.
Date: November 8, 1997
Target: Sunni Secretary General Nadeem Iqbal Awan
Location: Multan, Pakistan
Details: Two gunmen on a motorcycle sped up to Awan's office and shot him through the door, killing him and wounding his associate. The attack was believed to be religiously motivated.

284.
Date: November 12, 1997
Target: U.S. Businessmen
Location: Karachi, Pakistan
Details: Four oil company workers left their hotel in a company station wagon with their driver
en route
to the office. Barely 500 yards from the hotel a car intercepted them as they inched along in heavy traffic and two gunmen opened fire, killing everyone. The gunmen then casually drove away. The killings came two days after a U.S. court convicted Pakistani terrorist Mir Aimal Kasi for killing two CIA employees in 1993. The judge presiding over Kasi's trial quickly tightened security around the jurors.

285.
Date: November 23, 1997
Target: Mafia Boss Antonino Geraci
Location: Palermo, Italy
Details: Gunmen shot Geraci, a convicted Mafia boss, in the head five times while he was in his car. He had finished a jail sentence from his 1987 conviction and visited Palermo for medical appointments.

286.
Date: November 27, 1997
Target: Magazine Editor Jesus Blancornelas
Location: Tijuana, Mexico
Details: Gunmen shot and seriously wounded Blancornelas in the back, chest, and hand while he was riding in his car at 9:30 a.m. His bodyguard was killed. Blancornelas had won awards for his investigative reporting on political assassinations and drug dealing. The attack occurred just one week after bodyguards assigned to the journalist by the Baja California state government were withdrawn by that same government.