1 / 9The longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history, Shinzo Abe, was shot and killed on July 8, while campaigning for a parliamentary election the Nara region in Japan. Abe's assassination has left the world shocked and in grief. As the world morns Abe's death here is a look at some of the top world leaders who were assassinated while in office. (Image: Reuters)
2 / 9The 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln who served as the president from March 4, 1861 to April 15, 1865, was shot and killed when he was attending a play at the Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC. (Image: Reuters)
3 / 9John F Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, while riding in an open-top vehicle in front of a large crowd. (Image: Reuters)
4 / 9The leader of India's independence movement and Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi was shot thrice in the chest on January 30, 1948. Gandhi died on the spot. The shooting happened when he was attending a prayer meet in New Delhi. (Image: Reuters)
5 / 9The leader of America's civil rights movement Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated on April 4, 1968. He was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was rushed to St Joseph's Hospital, where he died while undergoing treatment. (Image: Reuters)
6 / 9India's third Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who served for two terms was shot and killed by her bodyguards on October 31, 1984 at her residence in Safdarjung Road, New Delhi. (Image: Reuters)
7 / 9Rajiv Gandhi, the son of Indira Gandhi, who took office after her mother was assassinated was also a victim of an assassination. He was killed by a suicide bomber on May 21, 1991 while campaigning for the Sriperumbudur Lok Sabha Congress candidate. (Image: Reuters)
8 / 9Benazir Bhutto, the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan, was assassinated on December 27, 2007 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. She had been campaigning ahead of elections scheduled for January 2008. Shots were fired at her after a political rally and a suicide bomb was detonated immediately following the shooting. (Image: Reuters)
9 / 9Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was assassinated on January 3, 2020. He died in a drone attack conducted by the US near Baghdad International Airport. But major media outlets including BBC News, NBC News among others termed Soleimani's death as an assassination. (Image: Wikipedia)
