When you think of assassinations, you probably picture meticulous planning, perfect timing, and grim outcomes. Yet history is peppered with moments when the would‑be killers slipped on a banana peel of fate, mis‑placed a bomb, or simply got out‑smarted by a royal’s quick wit. Below we tally 10 bizarre ways assassination attempts spectacularly back‑fired, proving that sometimes the universe has a sense of humor.
10 Bizarre Ways Assassination Plots Fell Apart
10 King Hassan II Ordered His Attackers To Stop Firing Because He Was Dead
Monarch Hassan II ascended to Morocco’s throne on 26 February 1961, initially viewed as a precarious ruler who might not survive six months. Defying those dark forecasts, he held power for an impressive 38 years.
Discontented Moroccan officers didn’t merely wait for his demise; they staged a series of coups. On 10 July 1971, roughly 2,000 rebel soldiers stormed the king’s palace amid his 42nd birthday celebration, opening fire on the assembled guests.
Although the onslaught claimed at least a hundred lives, the monarch emerged unscathed. Legend has it that Hassan confronted the coup leader, locking eyes while reciting verses from the Quran, which caused the assailant to lose his nerve and refrain from shooting the king.
A second attempt unfolded a year later, on 16 August 1972. While piloting his own aircraft from Paris to Morocco, Hassan’s plane was intercepted by four Royal Moroccan Air Force F‑5 fighters near Rabat. The rebels fired at the aircraft, damaging the engine and other components. In a bold move, Hassan seized the radio, shouted, “Stop firing! The tyrant is dead!” The interceptors, believing they’d succeeded, broke off the attack. Hassan’s plane landed safely, and the conspirators were promptly arrested.[1]
9 Poor Bomb Placement Saved The Saudi Prince
Abdullah and Ibrahim al‑Asiri, two notorious brothers wanted by Saudi authorities, were members of Al‑Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). AQAP’s inaugural operation targeted Crown Prince Nayef Bin Abdul‑Aziz Al Saud, who oversaw Saudi security at the time.
Abdullah approached the prince under the pretense of denouncing terrorism, securing a private‑jet invitation to meet him in Jeddah. The prince, unsuspecting, welcomed the ruse.
In a grisly twist, Abdullah concealed an explosive device inside his underwear, intending to detonate it at close range. When the moment arrived, he triggered the bomb, but the blast’s force was directed downward, tearing his own body in half while sparing the prince, who suffered only minor injuries.[2]
8 Qin Shi Huang Ran Around A Pillar To Escape An Assassin
Emperor Qin Shi Huang, ruler of China from 220‑210 BC, unified the warring states, gave China its name, and launched the Great Wall’s construction. His conquests earned him formidable enemies, chief among them the crown prince of Yan, whom Qin held hostage.
The Yan prince fled, aligning with General Fan, a former Qin commander who had defected after falling out of favor. Fearing the emperor might wage war against Yan to recapture Fan, the prince commissioned an assassination.
Assassin Jing Ke secured General Fan’s severed head as a grim offering, presenting it alongside a map to Qin. Intrigued, the emperor examined the gifts, only to discover Jing brandishing a poisoned dagger hidden within the scrolls. Instead of a swift murder, Jing attempted negotiation, but Qin, startled, fled the hall.
Because weapons were forbidden near the sovereign, no guard challenged Jing. Qin’s voluminous robes hindered his own sword draw, forcing him to sprint around a massive marble pillar while the assassin pursued, dagger in hand. The chase continued until a court physician hurled a medicine bag at Jing, creating a distraction that allowed Qin to finally draw his sword, wounding Jing’s thigh. Jing’s poisoned dagger missed its mark, and he was slain by the emperor’s guards after a blood‑soaked confession.[3]
7 Thick Winter Clothing Saved King Louis XV
On 5 January 1757, French monarch Louis XV fell victim to a knife attack orchestrated by Robert‑François Damiens. The king, unpopular and often targeted, had been visiting his ailing daughter, Madame Victoire, when the assault occurred.
Returning to his palace, Damiens thrust a blade into Louis’s side. The wound caused the king to bleed profusely, prompting him to fear imminent death. In his private chambers, he confessed his infidelities to the queen, pleading for forgiveness and vowing further confession if he survived.
Louis survived because the frigid day had him dressed in heavy winter attire. The knife’s blade became lodged in the thick clothing, allowing only a small portion to pierce his flesh, resulting in a relatively minor injury that ultimately proved non‑lethal.[4]
6 Charles De Gaulle Survived Because Of His Car’s Suspension
Sometimes, engineering saves lives more efficiently than bodyguards. French president Charles de Gaulle, elected in 1958, became a target of the Organisation Armée Secrète (OAS) after he granted Algeria independence, a move the OAS vehemently opposed.
In August 1962, twelve OAS gunmen unleashed a barrage of 140 rounds at de Gaulle’s convoy as it traveled from the Élysée Palace to Orly Airport. The vehicle under fire was a Citroën DS, renowned for its groundbreaking hydropneumatic suspension system.
Although the hail of bullets shredded two to four tires, the DS’s independent suspension kept the car level and maneuverable, allowing the driver to escape the ambush. Tragically, two of de Gaulle’s bodyguards were killed, but the president himself survived thanks to the car’s remarkable engineering.[5]
5 Nazi Salute Saves Hitler From Gunshot
Adolf Hitler survived a multitude of assassination attempts, yet one in 1938 stands out for its sheer absurdity. Maurice Bavaud positioned himself on an overpass during a Nuremberg rally, intent on shooting the Führer as he passed.
Just as Bavaud prepared to fire, a sea of onlookers raised their arms in the Nazi salute, unintentionally obscuring his view of Hitler. The gesture blocked his line of sight, preventing him from taking aim.
Undeterred, Bavaud chased Hitler to Berchtesgaden, then to Munich, only to be arrested for vagrancy. Police recovered his firearm, a letter addressed to Hitler, and a forged introduction. He was sentenced to death and guillotined in 1941.[6]
4 Assassination Attempt Ends After The Target Relocates
During apartheid, South Africa’s repressive regime commissioned the Civil Co‑operation Bureau (CCB) to eliminate anti‑apartheid leaders Dr. Pallo Jordan and Ronnie Kasrils, both based in London. The plot involved a “Bulgarian umbrella”—an umbrella modified to fire poison‑tipped darts.
Assassin Trevor Floyd flew to Britain, meeting Jan Lourens for training. The operation went awry when poison spilled on Lourens, though he recovered. Floyd then proceeded to London, only to discover that Jordan had moved out of the city, while Kasrils was not where Floyd expected.
Realizing the plan was compromised, Floyd discarded the weapon into the River Thames, ending the mission in failure.[7]
3 Margaret Thatcher Escaped Assassination Because She Worked Late
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once benefitted from a quirky genetic quirk dubbed the “Thatcher gene,” which supposedly reduces sleep needs. On 12 October 1984, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) planted a 9‑kilogram (20 lb) bomb in the Grand Hotel, Brighton, where Thatcher’s Conservative Party conference was underway.
The bomb, set by Patrick Magee and a female accomplice, detonated at 2:53 AM, targeting the hotel’s sleeping quarters. Thatcher, however, was in her suite’s sitting room with her private secretary, a space the blast missed. The explosion devastated the bedroom and bathroom, killing five people and injuring 34 others.
Thatcher’s late‑night work habit inadvertently placed her in a safe part of the hotel, sparing her life while the tragedy unfolded around her.[8]
2 An Assassination Attempt Failed Because The Assassins Were Idiots
In July 1835, Giuseppe Marco Fieschi plotted to murder French King Louis Philippe, driven by personal frustration. He teamed up with accomplices Morey and Pepin to construct a massive volley gun dubbed the “infernal machine,” essentially a bundle of more than twenty guns fused into a single barrel.
On 28 July, as Louis Philippe, his three sons, and their entourage rode past, Fieschi fired the contraption. A projectile missed the king’s head, though it struck the horses of the monarch and a prince, killing eighteen bystanders and wounding several others.
Fieschi himself suffered severe injuries from his own device. Believing he could bargain for leniency, he implicated his co‑conspirators during trial, only to receive a death sentence alongside Morey and Pepin. A fourth accomplice earned twenty years, while a fifth was acquitted.[9]
1 Nero’s Attempt To Kill His Mother Failed After She Swam Ashore
Roman Emperor Nero’s relationship with his mother, Agrippina the Younger, was fraught with power struggles. Agrippina sought to dominate Nero’s regime, even spreading rumors about his sexuality, while Nero resented her interference.
Initially, Nero tried to eliminate her by rigging the ceiling above her bed to collapse, a scheme that failed. He later presented her with a party boat as a conciliatory gesture, but the vessel was secretly weighted to sink once at sea.
When the weight was released, Agrippina swam to safety, escaping death. Frustrated, Nero finally ordered assassins to stab her, then blamed her loyal bodyguard Agermus for the murder and had him executed.[10]