Martin Luther King Jr

Propagator of the American Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his efforts to end racial segregation through non-violent means.

He was shot as he was standing on the second story balcony of his motel room. The assassination led to violent nationwide riots in more than 100 cities. James Earl Ray was arrested at Heathrow airport, using a fake Canadian passport. He was found guilty and sentenced to 99 years in prison. However, not everyone is convinced that James Earl Ray was in fact the killer and few believe he was acting alone.

Anwar El Sadat

The third president of Egypt, serving from 1970 until his death, Sadat became an Egyptian hero when he led the country into the October War in 1973 to reclaim Sinai. He later had the country booted from the Arab League when he signed the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. In doing so he became the only Arab head of state to recognise Israel, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize together with Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin.

Because of his moderate stance, a fatwa approving his assassination was obtained from the cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman (later convicted in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing) and he was killed during the annual victory parade in Cairo. A troop truck halted in front of the presidential reviewing stand and as Sadat rose to greet a lieutenant, assassins rose from the truck throwing grenades and firing assault rifles. The attack lasted two minutes, killed 11 others and wounded 28 (including foreign dignitaries).

Two of the attackers were killed and others were arrested. Islambouli was executed in April 1982 and Sadat was succeeded by the incumbent Hosni Muburak.

Chris Hani

Leader of the South African Communist Party and chief of staff of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the military branch of the ANC, Hani supported the suspension of the armed struggle in favour of negotiations. He was shot in the head as he was getting out of his car outside his home by the right-wing Polish immigrant Janusz Walus.

The assassination — aided by Derby-Lewis, who lent Walus his gun — was part of an attempt to derail the negotiations to end apartheid. Other figures on the hit list included Nelson Mandela and Joe Slovo. Riots did follow Hani's death, but following an appeal from Mandela for calm, the peace process remained on track and democratic elections were held a year later. The death sentences given to Walus and Derby-Lewis were commuted to life imprisonment when the death sentence was abolished. Both are still in prison, although Derby-Lewis has applied for parole.

Yitzhak Rabin

The fifth prime minister of Israel, Rabin shared the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize with Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat for the Oslo Accords. He was killed by the right-wing Israeli radical Yigal Amir, who opposed the peace treaty. The shooting took place in the evening as Rabin was leaving a mass rally in Tel Aviv in support of the Oslo process. Before leaving the stage, Rabin had been singing 'Shir LaShalom' (Song for Peace).

Benazir Bhutto

The first woman to lead a Muslim nation, Benazir Bhutto was twice the prime minister of Pakistan and the leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). Having returned to Pakistan on 18 December 2007 (having been in self-imposed exile since 1998) to contest the January 2008 elections, Bhutto had become hugely popular.

The first attempt on her life, a suicide bombing, failed, but it killed 136 of her supporters. On 27 December 2007, after entering her bullet-proof vehicle after a campaign rally, Bhutto stood up through the sun roof to wave to the crowds. A gunman opened fire and explosives were detonated near the vehicle, killing 20 people. Bhutto was killed in the attack, however, there is some debate about how she actually died, as her husband (who is now the leader of PPP) would not allow an autopsy.

Al-Qaeda commander Mustafa Abu al-Yazid claimed responsibility for the attack, but Bhutto's family blames the government of former president Musharraf and the government of Pakistan blames Baitullah Meshud, who denies any responsibility.

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