PODCAST · true crime
ASSASSINS
by ABC Australia
History often moves slowly, almost imperceptibly. But sometimes, the world is changed forever by a single, brutal act of violence. ASSASSINS tells the stories of these moments of chaos and fire. Each week host Aslan Pahari will bring you stories of the world's most shocking assassinations that changed the course of history.From the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac, Rasputin, and Gandhi met their end and the fallout when the world is upended by an assassin's hand.Every episode will be available as audio and video, just search for ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari on the ABC listen app, ABC iview or wherever you get your podcasts.
Episodes
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PRESENTS... This Stupid War (No One Saw It Coming)
This week, ASSASSINS presents "This Stupid War", a series from our friends at No One Saw It Coming.
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On the trail of the Red Prince: Palestine's Ali Hassan Salameh
In the 1970s, there was one man that Mossad just couldn't seem to cross off its kill list: Ali Hassan Salameh. So who was he and why was he so hard to catch?
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Operation Wrath of God: Israel's 'kill list'
'Operation Wrath of God' was an assassination campaign across Europe and the Middle East that cemented Mossad's reputation as a formidable opponent.
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The 1972 Olympics hostage crisis
The 1972 Munich Olympics were supposed to be the games that showed the world a new, open Germany. Instead, it became the backdrop for one of the most watched acts of terrorism in history.
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The Mossad assassination of Ghassan Kanafani
Nine days after a massacre at an Israeli airport, Mossad assassinates one of the Arab world's most celebrated writers in Beirut. Ghassan Kanafani never carried a gun. But his words had power and influence, and he was a spokesperson for the group who carried out the bloody airport attack. The…
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Hit Em Up: The assassination of Tupac Shakur [UPDATE]
UPDATE: On August 31st 2026, Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis was found guilty of orchestrating the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. Prosecutors argued that Davis supplied the weapon, and ordered the shooting – but did not pull the trigger himself. Davis maintains his innocence and says he will appeal the...
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1990s Cabramatta: Australia’s heroin capital
Cabramatta was the epicentre of Australia's worst heroin epidemic. It was also the electorate of John Newman, the state MP gunned down outside his own home in 1994. This week we look beyond the assassination and into the epidemic itself, with Don Weatherburn, a professor at the National Drug and...
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Who killed the Australian politician John Newman?
John Newman, the Australian politician, was shot dead in his driveway while he was still in office. The gunman has never been found. Newman was the State MP for the south-western Sydney electorate of Cabramatta. At the time of his death, the suburb was in the throes of a massive heroin epidemic....
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How an Al Qaeda propagandist fell for a long-con
When Anwar al-Awlaki joined Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, he knew he could be jailed or killed by the US government. What he didn’t know was that his death would come at the hands of a person he trusted with his life.
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Anwar Al-Awlaki: a US citizen assassinated on foreign soil (Part 1)
It was the first killing of an American citizen by his own government, without a trial, on foreign soil. And it was President Barack Obama who approved the order.
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Who killed the most powerful man in British India?
The Viceroy of India was considered the most powerful man in Britain’s most valuable colony. An untouchable figure representing the Crown with all its power. And yet, he was killed in an unlikely place, by an unlikely man. A man whose motives are still questioned today. Host: Aslan Pahari…
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The Chinese re-education camps for Muslim "extremists"
Yalkun Uluyol has not seen or spoken to his father since 2018 — until recently he wasn't even sure if his father was still alive. That's because his father had disappeared into a Chinese re-education and training camp for ethnic Uyghur Muslims in the far west of the country. The Chinese…
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The killing of a Uyghur Imam in China
Juma Tayir was an ethnic Uyghur. He was also the Chief Imam of China's largest mosque. In 2014, during a security crackdown by the Chinese Government, Tayir was brutally assassinated outside the mosque. But who wanted Juma Tayir dead — and why? Host: Aslan Pahari Producer: Hannah Jose Audio...
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Pim Fortuyn: The anti-Islam populist
In the early 2000s, Pim Fortuyn was one of the most famous gay politicians in the world. Determined to protect the tradition of progressive Dutch values, Fortuyn was also anti-immigration, and a fierce critic of Islam. All this against a backdrop of the War on Terror, which, at the time was in…
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L FRESH The LION on Sidhu Moose Wala and the Punjabi diaspora
You might know L-FRESH The LION from tracks like 1 in 100,000 or his Like A Version performance of Survive on triple j. As a Sikh Punjabi-Australian artist, he’s built his career around questions of identity and culture and the melding of musical genres. In the final instalment of our Punjabi…
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Punjab’s Elvis: Chamkila gunned down at a wedding
Chamkila, the so-called 'Elvis of Punjab', famously outraged religious leaders with his 'vulgar' music. But what was so taboo about his songs that he was forced to fold his hands and apologise? And in the end, that apology wasn't enough! In 1988, Punjabi musician and cultural icon Amar Singh...
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The mystery of who murdered Moose Wala
July 2022. Drake, the famous and at times controversial musician, takes to the stage in his home city of Toronto, Canada. That evening, Drake performs in a sweatshirt emblazoned with the face of a turbaned Punjabi man. And underneath the image, in large black font, is his name: Sidhu Moose Wala....
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The cult of Thomas Becket the martyr
During the middle Ages, the shrine of Thomas Becket was one of the most popular destinations for Christian pilgrims. Aslan talks to Mary McGilivray about the cult of St Thomas, the pilgrims who went to see the place he died, and the medieval souvenirs they took home. And if you haven't yet, check...
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The assassination that created a saint
The murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket in 1170 rocked medieval Europe. For hundreds of years, the place of his death — Canterbury Cathedral — became one of the most popular Christian pilgrimage destinations in the world. Thomas Becket was even made a saint. But why did this man become such an...
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The assassination of British MP Jo Cox
After the young British MP Jo Cox was assassinated in 2016, police raided the house of her killer. He lived in Cox’s West Yorkshire electorate, a region with a large and flourishing South Asian population. Inside his home were disturbing clues about what motivated his attack. Neighbours had…
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The Trung Sisters who took on the Chinese Empire
In the year 40 AD, the Trung sisters led one of the most incredible rebellions against China, taking on the powerful Eastern Han dynasty. Born into an aristocratic family in what’s now northern Vietnam, the sisters were trained from an early age in combat and military strategy. Sparked by an...
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The American journalist assassinated in Karachi
When Daniel Pearl touches down in Karachi, Pakistan, he knows he's taking a risk. A big one. He's a Jewish American reporter for the Wall Street Journal, investigating terrorism in a country hostile to America. He’s also highly experienced and well-versed in security protocols. So how does it all...
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How to defeat the Sicilian mafia: Part two
Magistrate Giovanni Falcone should have been too scared to take on the Sicilian mafia. After all, many of his colleagues had died trying to bring the Cosa Nostra to justice. So how did he do it? And why was victory, when it came, so bittersweet? This is the second in a two-part series about mafia...
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The magistrate vs the mafia: Part one
The Italian mafia once held regular meetings to decide which public figure needed to be assassinated. Some decisions were because of long-held grudges by these Sicilian "men of honour". Other killings were about stopping someone from challenging the mafia's power in southern Italy. For Sicilian...
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The plot to kill Iran's loudest dissident — Masih Alinejad
Would-be assassins have tried to kill or abduct Masih Alinejad at least three times. Somehow, she's still alive. The former Iranian journalist fled her home country over 15 years ago. From America, she started a hugely popular global campaign against Iran's hijab laws. But why do people want her...
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PRESENTS... What The Duck?! | Nature's Most Wanted
ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari will be back in a few weeks with a batch of brand new stories about the world's most shocking assassinations. But in the meantime, may we present… What The Duck?! | Nature's Most Wanted.
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Jamal Khashoggi and the Saudi hit squad that dismembered him
Who wins in a feud between a Washington Post journalist… and his own Crown Prince? Saudi Arabian columnist Jamal Khashoggi ran monthly op-eds about how Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was ruining his country. But MBS is not a man who's known for his tolerance. And something snapped. Host: Aslan...
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The Army of God and the killing of abortion doctors (Part 2)
The Army of God has been described by the American government as a domestic underground Christian terrorist organisation. The group's been accused of organising arson and bomb attacks against abortion clinics. But was it also connected to the 2009 killing of abortion provider Dr George Tiller?...
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The anti-abortion assassin (Part 1)
Bombings. Break-ins. Setting fire to abortion clinics. The extremist wing of the anti-abortion movement in the United States has actively targeted clinics that provide abortions to women. But it has also attacked the humans working there, sometimes with deadly consequences. This week, the 2009...
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Is Aurangzeb India’s most significant assassin?
The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built the majestic Taj Mahal to commemorate his beloved wife Mumtaz after she died. The couple's children, however, were far less loving with each other. They fought a bloody battle of succession that divided them all and ended with Aurangzeb assassinating his…
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“Z”: The Oscar-winning film banned in Greece
At the 1970 Academy Awards the movie "Z" won the Oscar for best foreign film. The film opens with this line: "Any similarity to actual persons and events is not coincidental. It is INTENTIONAL". You see, it was inspired by the real-life assassination of Greek athlete turned activist, Grigoris...
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The Greek Olympian assassinated by right wing extremists
The Greek Olympic long jumper Grigoris Lambrakis was assassinated by right wing extremists in front of police and a crowd of witnesses. Just one month earlier he had walked the full Marathon route in Greece to protest war and military power. His killing shook the nation and foreshadowed the rise…
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Alexei Navalny: Catfishing the Kremlin
There aren't many Russians who can get away with insulting their president, Vladimir Putin. But for most of his career, Alexei Navalny did. This week, the story of Russia's most famous dissident, and the lengths it took to kill him. Host: Aslan Pahari Producer: Hannah Jose Audio Engineer: Tegan...
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Did TV kill the Saudi King Faisal?
In 1975 a young Saudi prince entered the royal palace and shot dead the king, Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The killing was both personal and political, linked to the death of a brother, the tension between tradition and modernisation, and the introduction of television to the desert kingdom.…
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Berta Cáceres: The environmentalist killed by big business
When Indigenous woman Berta Cáceres helps organise a months-long blockade against multinationals in Honduras she immediately becomes a target. It's 2016, and Honduras is the deadliest country per capita for environmental activists. But Berta and the Lenca people refuse to back down. Their sacred...
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Who betrayed Indira Gandhi?
Indira Gandhi, India's first and only female Prime Minister, had many enemies. But after her government ordered tanks to fire on the Golden Temple, one of Sikhism's holiest sites, the backlash became inevitable. Little did she know that her assassin would come from her most trusted inner circle…...
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Rasputin: The drunk Russian monk who refused to die
It's said that Rasputin, the so-called 'mad monk', had supernatural abilities, could hypnotise people, and was quite the philanderer… It's also said that he was incredibly tricky to assassinate. But how much of that is true? And what's with people claiming to have preserved his severed penis in a...
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Ahmad Shah Massoud: The man who warned the world about 9/11
Five months before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Afghan resistance commander Ahmad Shah Massoud warned the western world that Al Qaeda was planning something big. But no one took him seriously. And just two days before they committed the most lethal terrorist attack in history, Al Qaeda…
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PRESENTS… If You’re Listening | How Israel changed the way it assassinates enemies
Each week on If You're Listening, host Matt Bevan explains the biggest story in world news while hiding in his basement from assassins (not us!) and authoritarian regimes.In this episode, Matt brings you the story of the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. In the early hours of July 31...
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PRESENTS… No One Saw It Coming | The Wrong Turn That Started a World War
Hosted by Marc Fennell, No One Saw It Coming is a podcast that focuses on moments in history that seemed inconsequential but turned out to be momentous. And in the episode that we're bringing you today, one of the most infamous assassinations of all time — that of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. It's…
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Why was Mahatma Gandhi killed by one of his own?
Editor's note (22/12/2025): In this episode, we discuss how, under Gandhi's leadership, the spinning wheel became a symbol of rebellion in India. We then say, "Which is why, to this day, that wheel appears on the Indian flag." This is incorrect. Although it is true that the spinning wheel…
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The Iranian nuclear scientist killed in a Hollywood-style hit
In 2020, Iran's top nuclear scientist, Professor Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was gunned down on a remote stretch of road outside Tehran. But as the dust settled, one thing stood out as being particularly strange. Apart from the victim, his wife, and their security detail, there was no one else around. No...
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The many attempts to kill Donald Trump
July 2024. Donald Trump is speaking at a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania when his speech is interrupted by a volley of gunshots. Trump instinctively touches his right ear and drops to the ground where he's swarmed by his security detail — who quickly move to get him out of the firing…
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A home-made gun, a cult, and the assassination of Japan’s Shinzo Abe
As the longest serving Prime Minister in Japan's history, Shinzo Abe deserved a relaxing retirement. Instead, he was out on the campaign trail for a colleague when an assassin's bullet struck. But this wasn't a politically motivated kill. It was actually connected to a global cult-like religion....
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Hit 'Em Up: The assassination of Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur was a poet. A performer. A radical. He might have only been alive for 25 years, but in that time, he became the voice of his generation. And then one night, after a fight in Las Vegas, he was shot four times and left for dead. This is his story. How he lived. How he fought. And how,...
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Atiq Ahmed: Gunned down on live TV
You'd never expect to see an assassination broadcast on live TV. But that's exactly what happened in 2023. In the badlands of India's most populous state, a gangster-turned-politician met his end while millions watched. So what did the notorious Atiq Ahmed do to get himself publicly executed? How...
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An ancient mystery solved by modern science!
For over 3000 years, the death of Pharaoh Ramses III was one of history's great mysteries. Then, in 2012, scientists cracked the case, revealing that Ramses III, the last of Egypt's Great Pharaohs, had been assassinated. But how did they do it? Science journalist Maddie Massy joins Aslan Pahari…
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Who killed Ramses III? How scientists found murder in an Egyptian mummy
Is Ancient Egypt's 3000-year-old murder mystery history's coldest case? Ramses III was the last of Egypt's Great Pharaohs; a saviour of the empire, a military genius, a god-king. But for over 3000 years, his death remained a mystery. Then, in 2012, scientists uncovered the truth. They found a…
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Charlotte Corday: The Angel of Assassination
How long do you remain conscious for after having your head chopped off? For centuries, people thought that a severed head might be aware of what's going on for up to 30 seconds after decapitation — or even longer! That folklore has its origins in the assassination of revolutionary leader…
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The samurai assassins who killed a Korean Empress
How do you assassinate someone when you don't know what they look like? The K-Pop Demon Hunter of her time, Korea's first empress, Queen Min, was a total bad ass. But there weren't any reliable images of her, so no one beyond her immediate court knew what she looked like. Which turned out to be a...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
History often moves slowly, almost imperceptibly. But sometimes, the world is changed forever by a single, brutal act of violence. ASSASSINS tells the stories of these moments of chaos and fire. Each week host Aslan Pahari will bring you stories of the world's most shocking assassinations that changed the course of history.From the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac, Rasputin, and Gandhi met their end and the fallout when the world is upended by an assassin's hand.Every episode will be available as audio and video, just search for ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari on the ABC listen app, ABC iview or wherever you get your podcasts.
HOSTED BY
ABC Australia
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does ASSASSINS have?
ASSASSINS currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is ASSASSINS about?
History often moves slowly, almost imperceptibly. But sometimes, the world is changed forever by a single, brutal act of violence. ASSASSINS tells the stories of these moments of chaos and fire. Each week host Aslan Pahari will bring you stories of the world's most shocking assassinations that...
How often does ASSASSINS release new episodes?
ASSASSINS has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to ASSASSINS?
You can listen to ASSASSINS on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts ASSASSINS?
ASSASSINS is created and hosted by ABC Australia.
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