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True Crime

ASSASSINS

ABC Australia

History often moves slowly, almost imperceptibly. But sometimes, the world is changed forever by a single, brutal act of violence. ASSASSINS tells the stories of these moments of chaos and fire. Each week host Aslan Pahari will bring you stories of the world's most shocking assassinations that changed the course of history.

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 and the fallout when the world is upended by an assassin's hand.

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.

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  • 32 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 18 min
  • English

Episodes 32

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  • Wednesday · 17 min

    Musaylima: Islam's False Prophet

    It’s the 7th century in Arabia, and the Prophet Muhammad has just passed away. Almost immediately, new claimants of prophethood appear to challenge the Caliph Abu Bakr. 

  • September 23 · 18 min

    The 1972 Olympics hostage crisis

    The 1972 Munich Olympics were supposed to be the games that showed the world a new, open Germany.    Instead, it became the backdrop for one of the most watched acts of terrorism in history.  

  • September 16 · 18 min

    The Mossad assassination of Ghassan Kanafani

    Nine days after a massacre at an Israeli airport, Mossad assassinates one of the Arab world's most celebrated writers in Beirut. Ghassan Kanafani never carried a gun. But his words had power and influence, and he was a spokesperson for the group who carried out the bloody airport attack. The first part in our special series about Israel and Palestine in the 1970s is about the life and death of writer Ghassan Kanafani. Host: Aslan Pahari Producer: Hannah Jose Audio Engineer: Tegan Nicholls, Emr

  • September 9 · 30 min

    Hit Em Up: The assassination of Tupac Shakur [UPDATE]

    UPDATE: On August 31st 2026, Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis was found guilty of orchestrating the murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. Prosecutors argued that Davis supplied the weapon, and ordered the shooting – but did not pull the trigger himself. Davis maintains his innocence and says he will appeal the conviction. 

  • September 2 · 15 min

    1990s Cabramatta: Australia’s heroin capital

    Cabramatta was the epicentre of Australia's worst heroin epidemic. It was also the electorate of John Newman, the state MP gunned down outside his own home in 1994.  This week we look beyond the assassination and into the epidemic itself, with Don Weatherburn, a professor at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at UNSW. 

  • August 27 · 18 min

    Who killed the Australian politician John Newman?

    John Newman, the Australian politician, was shot dead in his driveway while he was still in office. The gunman has never been found. Newman was the State MP for the south-western Sydney electorate of Cabramatta. At the time of his death, the suburb was in the throes of a massive heroin epidemic. Host: Aslan Pahari Producer: Hannah Jose Audio Engineer: Tegan Nicholls, Emrys Cronin Video Producers: Tejas Bhat, Dylan Behan Special thanks: Michael Osmond for archives research Supervising Producer

  • August 19 · 18 min

    How an Al Qaeda propagandist fell for a long-con

    When Anwar al-Awlaki joined Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, he knew he could be jailed or killed by the US government. What he didn’t know was that his death would come at the hands of a person he trusted with his life. 

  • August 5 · 16 min

    Who killed the most powerful man in British India?

    The Viceroy of India was considered the most powerful man in Britain’s most valuable colony. An untouchable figure representing the Crown with all its power.   And yet, he was killed in an unlikely place, by an unlikely man.   A man whose motives are still questioned today.  Host: Aslan Pahari Producer: Hannah Jose Audio Engineer: Emrys Cronin Video Producers: Tejas Bhat, Dylan Behan Special thanks: Michael Osmond for archives research Supervising Producer: Kyla Slaven Executive Producers: Joe

  • July 29 · 15 min

    The Chinese re-education camps for Muslim "extremists"

    Yalkun Uluyol has not seen or spoken to his father since 2018 — until recently he wasn't even sure if his father was still alive. That's because his father had disappeared into a Chinese re-education and training camp for ethnic Uyghur Muslims in the far west of the country. The Chinese government admits to creating "vocational education and training centres" as part of its campaign against extremism, but it says the camps are completely voluntary. Yalkun Uluyol is now a researcher for Human

  • July 22 · 15 min

    The killing of a Uyghur Imam in China

    Juma Tayir was an ethnic Uyghur. He was also the Chief Imam of China's largest mosque. In 2014, during a security crackdown by the Chinese Government, Tayir was brutally assassinated outside the mosque. But who wanted Juma Tayir dead — and why? Host: Aslan Pahari Producer: Hannah Jose Audio Engineer: Tegan Nicholls, Emrys Cronin Video Producers: Tejas Bhat, Dylan Behan Special thanks: Michael Osmond for archives research Supervising Producer: Kyla Slaven Executive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric

  • July 1 · 15 min

    Pim Fortuyn: The anti-Islam populist

    In the early 2000s, 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  Supervi

  • June 24 · 21 min

    L FRESH The LION on Sidhu Moose Wala and the Punjabi diaspora

    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/7FOjbBMbEQeucu

  • June 17 · 15 min

    Punjab’s Elvis: Chamkila gunned down at a wedding

    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. Host: Aslan Pahari Producer: Hannah Jose Audio Engineer: Tegan Nicholls Video Producers: Tejas Bhat, Dylan Beh

  • June 10 · 18 min

    The mystery of who murdered Moose Wala

    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. Host: Aslan Pahari Producer: Hannah Jose

  • June 3 · 17 min

    The cult of Thomas Becket the martyr

    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. Host: Aslan Pahari Producer: Hannah Jose Audio Engineer: Tegan Nicholls Video Producers: Dylan Behan, Tejas Bhat Special thanks: M

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