Explore every episode of the podcast ASSASSINS
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| INTRODUCING — ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari | 17 Sep 2025 | 00:03:00 | |
Aslan Pahari brings you stories of the world's most shocking assassinations. From seizing power, to silencing dissidents, ASSASSINS unpacks the moments in which someone decides that murder is the move. 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. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — 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.
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| Abraham Lincoln's celebrity assassin | 01 Oct 2025 | 00:26:57 | |
There have been few assassinations as notorious or consequential as Abraham Lincoln's. But for years before he killed the President, Lincoln’s assassin was a household name across North America. In fact, stage actor John Wilkes Booth was so famous that many people had images of him hung on the walls of their homes. So how does an American celebrity kill an American President in front of hundreds of witnesses and escape the scene, kicking off a wild and farcical manhunt? This is the story of how the hunter became the hunted.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hit man to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac, Rasputin, and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| “Z”: The Oscar-winning film banned in Greece | 25 Feb 2026 | 00:18:37 | |
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 Lambrakis. Released just 6 years after his killing, the film was immediately banned in his homeland. Film podcaster and proud Greek Australian, Alexei Toliopoulos loves this movie and tells us why this classic film is still so important today.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| The Greek Olympian assassinated by right wing extremists | 18 Feb 2026 | 00:16:55 | |
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 of the military dictatorship he had long feared was coming.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| Why was Mahatma Gandhi killed by one of his own? | 17 Dec 2025 | 00:25:17 | |
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 featured on an earlier version of the Indian flag, in 1947 it was replaced by the Ashoka Chakra. Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian activist who helped topple the British Empire, wasn't killed by colonisers, but by one of his own. When the struggle against the British was won, and India gained its independence, the ghosts of Partition lingered. And finally caught up with the man of peace. Why did Mahatma Gandhi, a man known for non-violence, meet such a violent end?
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — 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. | |||
| The Iranian nuclear scientist killed in a Hollywood-style hit | 10 Dec 2025 | 00:24:34 | |
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 assailants, no witnesses, and no collateral damage. Israel was the prime suspect. Had they just enacted one of the most technologically advanced assassinations of all time?
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — 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. | |||
| The many attempts to kill Donald Trump | 03 Dec 2025 | 00:35:29 | |
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 line. Surrounded by security, blood streaming down the right side of his face, Trump raises a fist to the crowd in what becomes the iconic shot of the campaign. But did you know that this wasn't the first attempt on Trump's life? Today, the many attempts to assassinate Donald Trump, from Ricin to rifles.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — 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. | |||
| A home-made gun, a cult, and the assassination of Japan’s Shinzo Abe | 26 Nov 2025 | 00:20:12 | |
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. And a young man whose mother was in too deep.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| Hit 'Em Up: The assassination of Tupac Shakur | 19 Nov 2025 | 00:30:35 | |
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, nearly three decades later, his murder is still being untangled and interrogated.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| Atiq Ahmed: Gunned down on live TV | 12 Nov 2025 | 00:26:01 | |
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 did his assassins get through a police escort to reach him? And who was powerful enough to give the order?
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| An ancient mystery solved by modern science! | 05 Nov 2025 | ||
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 to dig deep into this discovery, and how scientists use cutting edge technology to reveal secrets from the past.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — 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. | |||
| Who killed Ramses III? How scientists found murder in an Egyptian mummy | 29 Oct 2025 | 00:17:40 | |
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 wound nobody had noticed before — the type of wound that could only have one explanation: Pharaoh Ramses III had been assassinated.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — 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. | |||
| Charlotte Corday: The Angel of Assassination | 22 Oct 2025 | 00:24:09 | |
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 Jean-Paul Marat by Charlotte Corday, the French Revolution's "Angel of Assassination". You might know that in the early days of the revolution, most of the people who faced the razor-sharp guillotine were from the aristocracy or were supporters of the monarchy. But once the revolutionaries were victorious, years of terrifying infighting began, and thousands more heads would roll.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — 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. | |||
| The samurai assassins who killed a Korean Empress | 15 Oct 2025 | 00:23:43 | |
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 problem when samurai assassins, part of a rabble-rousing mob, stormed her palace early one morning with one thing on their mind: assassination. A progressive woman, who outmanoeuvred every man in her court, Queen Min was killed by those in power for being ahead of her time — and trying to drag her country, the so-called Hermit Kingdom, out of the past with her.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — 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. | |||
| Alexei Navalny: Catfishing the Kremlin | 11 Feb 2026 | 00:17:57 | |
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.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| Who killed Benazir Bhutto? | 08 Oct 2025 | 00:24:30 | |
Almost two decades after her assassination we still don't know who killed Benazir Bhutto. But that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of theories about who had the means and the motive. As the first woman to become prime minister of a Muslim country, Bhutto went toe-to-toe with the totalitarian forces that killed her father and controlled her country. To her supporters, she represented their great hope for Pakistan to break free from years of military dictatorship. But powerful forces wanted her dead.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — 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. | |||
| Did TV kill the Saudi King Faisal? | 04 Feb 2026 | 00:16:39 | |
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.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| Berta Cáceres: The environmentalist killed by big business | 28 Jan 2026 | 00:18:12 | |
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 river is at stake.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| Who betrayed Indira Gandhi? | 21 Jan 2026 | 00:23:18 | |
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…
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| Rasputin: The drunk Russian monk who refused to die | 14 Jan 2026 | 00:24:53 | |
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 jar?
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| Ahmad Shah Massoud: The man who warned the world about 9/11 | 07 Jan 2026 | 00:20:49 | |
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 assassinated Massoud too. But in the carnage that followed, the world barely noticed.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| PRESENTS… If You’re Listening | How Israel changed the way it assassinates enemies | 31 Dec 2025 | 00:20:27 | |
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 this year, Haniyeh was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran. It's presumed Israel was behind the killing, with reports detailing a complex operation by its spy agency Mossad. So if it was Israel that did this, why did they do it in such an extraordinary manner, and in Iran of all places? The answer tells us a lot about the complex political situation Israel finds itself in, where it feels the need for revenge, but only in a way that doesn't alienate its allies. Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app, or check out the series on YouTube. | |||
| PRESENTS… No One Saw It Coming | The Wrong Turn That Started a World War | 24 Dec 2025 | 00:26:24 | |
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 the event that's seen as the trigger for World War One, but it didn't happen quite the way the history books let on… Australian author Paul Ham tells Marc Fennell (Stuff the British Stole, Mastermind) what really happened on the 28th of June 1914, when the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne Archduke Franz Ferdinand visited the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo. Far from a meticulously planned and executed assassination, the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand might not have happened at all, were it not for one fateful wrong turn that put him right in the path of the man who would murder him. And the deaths of millions could have been avoided altogether without the desperate need for colonial powers to defend their empires. Binge all the episodes of No One Saw It Coming now on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. | |||
| Pim Fortuyn: The anti-Islam populist | 01 Jul 2026 | 00:15:38 | |
In the early 2000’s 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 full swing. Host: Aslan Pahari Producer: Hannah Jose Audio Engineer: Tegan Nicholls Video Producers: Tejas Bhat, Dylan Behan Special thanks: Michael Osmond for archives research Supervising Producer: Kyla Slaven Executive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica Radburn To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world’s most shocking assassinations – from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you’ll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| L FRESH The LION on Sidhu Moose Wala and the Punjabi diaspora | 24 Jun 2026 | 00:21:34 | |
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 music special, Aslan sits down with L-FRESH to talk about the Punjabi musicians who’ve influenced him. Check out Aslan's Punjabi Music playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7FOjbBMbEQeucu3q7kZOx0 Host: Aslan Pahari Producer: Hannah Jose Audio Engineer: Tegan Nicholls Video Producers: Tejas Bhat, Dylan Behan Special thanks: Michael Osmond for archives research Supervising Producer: Kyla Slaven Executive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica Radburn | |||
| The magistrate vs the mafia: Part one | 22 Apr 2026 | 00:15:46 | |
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 magistrate Cesare Terranova, both of those reasons made him the target of the notorious Cosa Nostra. This is the first in a two-part series about mafia assassinations in Italy.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| The plot to kill Iran's loudest dissident — Masih Alinejad | 15 Apr 2026 | 00:15:50 | |
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 dead?
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end | |||
| PRESENTS... What The Duck?! | Nature's Most Wanted | 01 Apr 2026 | 00:26:17 | |
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. | |||
| Jamal Khashoggi and the Saudi hit squad that dismembered him | 26 Mar 2026 | 00:17:20 | |
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.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| The Army of God and the killing of abortion doctors (Part 2) | 18 Mar 2026 | 00:14:36 | |
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? NOTE: This episode is the second in two parts series about the American abortion provider Dr George Tiller.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| The anti-abortion assassin (Part 1) | 11 Mar 2026 | 00:15:31 | |
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 assassination of Dr George Tiller, a high-profile abortion provider in Kansas.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world’s most shocking assassinations – from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you’ll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| Is Aurangzeb India’s most significant assassin? | 04 Mar 2026 | 00:18:48 | |
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 brother, Dara Shikoh. How did things get so bad in this powerful 17th century family?
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end | |||
| Punjab’s Elvis: Chamkila gunned down at a wedding | 17 Jun 2026 | 00:15:38 | |
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 Chamkila had his rise cut cruelly short. To this day, it's not clear who pulled the trigger.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| The mystery of who murdered Moose Wala | 10 Jun 2026 | 00:18:03 | |
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. 1993 to 2022. So, who is this man on Drake's sweatshirt? And why is he dead? This is the first instalment in a 3-part series from the world of Punjabi music.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| The cult of Thomas Becket the martyr | 03 Jun 2026 | 00:17:35 | |
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 out our recent full episode about the assassination of Thomas Becket.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| The assassination that created a saint | 27 May 2026 | 00:16:33 | |
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 important and influential figure after his death?
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| The assassination of British MP Jo Cox | 22 May 2026 | 00:15:13 | |
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 thought that the assassin was harmless, just a quiet, solitary middle-aged man. But the local South Asian taxi drivers knew better… Host: Aslan Pahari Producer: Hannah Jose Audio Engineer: Tegan Nicholls Video Producers: Dylan Behan, Tejas Bhat Special thanks: Michael Osmond for archives research Supervising Producer: Kyla Slaven Executive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica Radburn To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world’s most shocking assassinations – from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you’ll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| The Trung Sisters who took on the Chinese Empire | 13 May 2026 | 00:14:29 | |
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 assassination, they went to war. But history holds different accounts of how this story ended. Host: Aslan Pahari Producer: Hannah Jose Audio Engineer: Tegan Nicholls Video Producers: Dylan Behan, Tejas Bhat Special thanks: Michael Osmond for archives research Supervising Producer: Kyla Slaven Executive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica Radburn To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world’s most shocking assassinations – from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you’ll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| The American journalist assassinated in Karachi | 06 May 2026 | 00:15:44 | |
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 go so wrong?
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||
| How to defeat the Sicilian mafia: Part two | 29 Apr 2026 | 00:16:29 | |
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 assassinations in Italy.
To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end. | |||