All of the events listed in this article have a common thread:
11-01-50 Attempted assassination of Harry S. Truman, President of the United States.
05-15-72 Attempted assassination of George Wallace, Governor of Alabama.
03-20-74 Attempted kidnapping of of Princess Anne of England.
09-05-77 Kidnapping & assassination of of Hanns-Martin Schleyer, West German Industrialist.
03-16-78 Kidnapping & Assassination of Aldo Moro, Former Prime Minister of Italy.
03-30-81 Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, President of the United States
06-14-95 Attempted assassination of Robert Kruger, U.S. Ambassador to Burundi.
11-04-95 Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel.
08-29-95 Attempted assassination of Eduard Shevardnadze, President of Georgia.
02-09-98 Attempted assassination of Eduard Shevardnadze, President of Georgia.
07-23-98 Attempted assassination of Asian Naskhadov, President of Chechnya.
01-03-99 Attempted assassination of Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan.
09-06-99 Attempted assassination of Hosni Mubarak, President of Egypt.
07-03-00 Assassination of Jean Leopold Dominque, Owner Radio Haiti.
12-19-00 Attempted assassination of Iosif Ordzhonikidze, Deputy Mayor of Moscow.
01-31-01 Atempted assassination of Akhmad Kadyrov, Head of the Civil Administration in Chechnya.
04-11-01 Assassination of Habib Sanginov, First Deputy Minister of the Interior of Tajikistan.
04-18-01 Assassination of Teodoro Hernaez, Mayor of Santa Lucia, Philipines.
07-25-01 Assassination of Phoolan ("Bandit Queen") Devi, Member of Parliment, India.
07-26-01 Assassination of Shaukat Mirza, Director Pakistan State Oil Company.
04-21-05 Attempted assassination of Iraq Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.
06-10-05 Assassination of Kyrgyz Parliament Member Jyrgalbek Surabaldiyev
06-21-05 Assassination of George Hawi, former secretary general of the Lebanese Communist Party
08-23-05 Attempted assassination of Iraq's deputy justice minister Bosho Ibrahim
08-25-05 Attempted assassination of Prime Minister Ibragim Malsagov of Russia's Ingushetia republic
09-17-05 Assassination of Mexican security chief Rogelio Zarazua
10-04-05 Attempted assassination of Iraq oil minister Bahr al-Uloum
10-18-05 Assassination of Kashmir's junior education minister Dr. Gulam Nabi Lone
11-08-05 Attempted assassination of Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Akhtar Hussain Jadoon
12-19-05 Attempted assassination of deputy governor of Baghdad, Ziyad al-Zawbai
01-03-06 Kidnapping of Iraqi minister's Bayan Jabr's sister
01-26-06 Attempted assassination of Iraqi Industry Minister Osama al-Najafi
02-03-06 Attempted assassination of Iraqi Sunni political leader Adnan al-Dulaimi
02-08-06 Attempted assassination of Iraqi Education Minister Sami al-Mudafar
03-05-06 Attempted assassination of Shia MP Qasim Attiyah Al Jbouri
03-05-06 Assassination of Isabela City Mayor Luis "Boboy" Biel II
04-06-06 Attempted assassination of Hassan Turabi, the provincial chief of Islami Tehrik, Pakistan's main Shiite group
04-28-06 Attempted assassination of senior Afghan police official Niaz Mohammed
07-15-06 Attempted assassination of Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) Chairman Sadettin Ergec
07-22-06 Attempted assassination of Assad Ali Yassin, council chairman of the city of Samarra north of Baghdad
08-08-06 Attempted assassination of Minister Adilgerei Magomedtagirov of Daghestan
09-05-06 Attempted assassination of Lebanese police Lieutenant-Colonel Samir Shehade
03-04-07 Assassination of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MP Sunil Mahato
03-15-07 Attempted assassination of Benin President Boni Yayi

These events transpired in various countries around the world. The protected individuals were from the public and private sectors. Some had one protector while others had many.

The activities of the principals at the time of the attacks were:
Riding in vehicle - 27 incidents
Walking to/entering Car - 8 incidents
Walking through crowd - 1 incident
Giving a Speech - 1 incident
Ariving at work - 1 incident
In residence - 2 incidents
At work/office - 1 incident
Attending sporting event - 1 incident
At Restaurant - 1 incident
Walking to house - 1 incident

The weapons used by the attackers were as follows:
Knife - 1 incident
Firearms - 27 incidents
Explosives - 16 incidents

The common thread in all of these events is that bodyguards/drivers and/or law enforcement personnel assigned to protect the individuals mentioned were either injured or killed when the attacks on their principals occured.

Whether the goal of the attacker is kidnapping or assassination, you the protective service personnel are also a target, because any attacker that chooses to attack your client in your presence views you as nothing more than an obstacle to success that needs to be neutralized.

Therefore it is in your best interest to be very good at the art of personal protection or one day you too may be gone!

Copyright 2007 L.T. Altman