List of assassinations by France

This is a list of people who have been targets of assassination by the French government.

Assassinations

Target Nationality Position Date City Country Perpetrator Method
Ayyash Al-Haj State of Syria Syrian revolutionary 1926 Jableh State of Syria French Mandate authorities Poisoned.[1]
Mandel Szkolnikoff Belarus/ France Businessman and Nazi collaborator 10 June 1945 El Molar, Madrid Spain Direction générale des études et recherches Accidentally given fatal overdose during kidnapping.[2]
Farhat Hached Tunisia Labor unionist 5 December 1952 Near Radès French protectorate of Tunisia La Main Rouge Shot to death.[3]
"Homo" Operations Various Various 1954—1962 Various Algeria SDECE Done throughout the Algerian War. Responsible for the assassinations of roughly 100—200 people.[4][5]
Jacques Lemaigre-Dubreuil France Businessman, activist 11 June 1955 Casablanca Morocco La Main Rouge Shot.[6]
Mostefa Ben Boulaïd Algeria National Liberation Front commander 22 March 1956 Arris French Algeria French Army Detonation of booby-trapped radio device.[5]
Larbi Ben M'hidi Algeria National Liberation Front member 4 March 1957 Algiers French Algeria French paratroopers Torture murder.[7][8]
Ali Boumendjel Algeria National Liberation Army fighter, lawyer 23 March 1957 El Biar, Algiers French Algeria French Army Thrown out of a window.[9]
Rahal Saad Algeria Pharmacist, National Liberation Army associate April 1957 Meknes Morocco French paramilitary soldiers Parcel bomb.[5][10]
Maurice Audin France Political activist, mathematician 21 June 1957 Algiers French Algeria Soldiers of the 10th Parachute Division Torture murder.[11][12][13]
Georges Geiser  Switzerland Technician, manufacturer of explosives detonators 9 September 1957 Geneva  Switzerland La Main Rouge Stabbed.[14][15][16]
Marcel Léopold  Switzerland Arms dealer and entrepreneur 19 September 1957 Geneva  Switzerland La Main Rouge Poisoned by dart gun.[17][18][19]
Leo Geiser  Switzerland Arms dealer 9 November 1957 Geneva  Switzerland La Main Rouge Poisoned by dart gun and stabbed.[20][21]
Ruben Um Nyobè Cameroon Politician 13 September 1958 Nyong-et-Kellé French Cameroon French Army Shot to death.[22]
Améziane Aït Ahcène Algeria Lawyer, ambassador of the Algerian Front de Libération Nationale 5 November 1958 Bonn West Germany La Main Rouge Shot and died of his injuries.[23]
Georg Puchert West Germany Arms dealer 3 May 1959 Frankfurt West Germany La Main Rouge Car bomb.[24][25]
Amokrane Ould Aoudia France / Algeria Student, National Liberation Army lawyer 23 May 1959 Paris France SDECE Shot to death.[24][26]
Félix-Roland Moumié Cameroon Anti-colonialist leader 3 November 1960 Geneva  Switzerland William Bechtel Poisoned with thalium.[19]
Fernando Pereira Portugal / Netherlands Photographer 10 July 1985 Auckland New Zealand Directorate General for External Security Drowned in deliberate sinking of the Rainbow Warrior.[27]
Omar Ould Hamaha Mali Spokesman and chief of staff for both Ansar Dine and Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa 8 March 2014 Kidal Mali Special Operations Command (France) Air strike.[28][29]
Ahmed al-Tilemsi Mali Senior figure of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) and al-Mourabitoun 10–11 December 2014 Tabankort Mali French Special Forces Shot in raid.[30][31]
Mokhtar Belmokhtar Algeria Leader of the group Al-Murabitoun, smuggler, weapons dealer November 2016 Unknown Libya French Air and Space Force Air strike.[32]
Abdelmalek Droukdel Algeria Emir of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb 3 June 2020 Talahandak Mali French Special Forces Air strike.[33][34]
Ba Ag Moussa Mali Militant and jihadist 10 November 2020 Essouk Mali French Special Forces Shot in special military operation.[35][36]
Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic First Emir of the Islamic State – Sahel Province 17 August 2021 Dangalous Forest Mali French Armed Forces Drone strike.[37][38]

Attempted assassinations

Target Nationality Position Date City Country Perpetrator Method
Ahmed Ben Bella Algeria National Liberation Front leader July 1956 Cairo Egypt French paramilitary soldiers Shooting.[5]
Otto Schlüter West Germany Armourer for the State of Hamburg 26 September 1956 Hamburg West Germany La Main Rouge Bomb. Assistant killed in attempt.[39][40][4][5]
Ahmed Kamal United States Arms dealer March 1957 Madrid Spain French paramilitary soldiers Shooting.[5][41]
Allal al-Fassi Morocco Moroccan nationalist leader April 1957 Tangier Morocco French paramilitary soldiers Remote-controlled charge.[5]
Otto Schlüter West Germany Armourer for the State of Hamburg 3 June 1957 Hamburg West Germany La Main Rouge Car bomb. Schlüter's mother killed in attempt.[39]
Louis Tonnelot France Director of the Maurice-Loustau Hospital June 1957 Oujda Morocco French paramilitary soldiers Bombing.[5][42]
Bou Zidia Algeria National Liberation Front associate August 1957 Rabat Morocco French paramilitary soldiers Shooting. Only injured.[5]
Marcel Léopold  Switzerland Arms dealer and entrepreneur September 1957 Geneva  Switzerland French paramilitary soldiers Shooting.[5]
Omar Ouamrane Algeria National Liberation Front leader September 1957 Tunis Tunisia French paramilitary soldiers Remotel-controlled charge. Detonated prematurely and killed operators rather than Ouamrane.[5]
Tayeb Boulahrouf Algeria Militant and jihadist May 1959 Rome Italy La Main Rouge Car bombing. 10 year old killed in attempt.[20][41]

References

  1. ↑ Fattouh, Issa (2017). "Abdul Qader Al-Ayyash Researcher and historian". Almarifa Magazine. 646: 153–159.
  2. ↑ Rochebrune, Renaud de; Hazera, Jean-Claude (2013-03-21). Patrons sous l'Occupation (Les) (in French). Odile Jacob. pp. 229–235. ISBN 978-2-7381-2938-3.
  3. ↑ "Tunisia: Siliana and the heritage of Farhat Hached sixty years after his assassination". openDemocracy. 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  4. 1 2 Alilat, Farid (2020-10-18). "Algeria: The dark side of French intelligence services during the war". The Africa Report. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Puyvelde, Damien Van (2021-09-19). "French paramilitary actions during the Algerian War of Independence, 1956-1958". Intelligence and National Security. doi:10.1080/02684527.2021.1946950#abstract.
  6. ↑ Riegler, Thomas (2012). "The State as a Terrorist: France and the Red Hand". Perspectives on Terrorism. 6 (6): 22–33. ISSN 2334-3745.
  7. ↑ Timsit, John (2024-11-01). "Algérie : Macron reconnaît que le dirigeant du FLN Larbi Ben M'hidi a été «assassiné par des militaires français» en 1957". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  8. ↑ "Macron recognises Algerian national hero Larbi Ben M'hidi 'killed by French soldiers' in 1957". France 24. 2024-11-01. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  9. ↑ Beaugé, Florence (2013-12-04). "L'accablante confession du général Aussaresses sur la torture en Algérie". Le Monde (in French). ISSN 1950-6244. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  10. ↑ "Guerre d'Algérie, quand la France assassinait des femmes et des enfants : révélations sur les opérations "homo"". L'Express (in French). 2025-05-04. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  11. ↑ Nossiter, Adam (2018-09-13). "French Soldiers Tortured Algerians, Macron Admits 6 Decades Later". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  12. ↑ Willsher, Kim (2018-09-16). "'My father was tortured and murdered in Algeria. At last France has admitted it'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  13. ↑ Casassus, Barbara (2018-09-13). "France admits role in torture and murder of mathematician during Algerian war". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-018-06690-w.
  14. ↑ Cheurfi, Achour (2004). La révolution algérienne, 1954-1962: dictionnaire biographique (in French). Casbah éditions. p. 230. ISBN 978-9961-64-478-2.
  15. ↑ Faligot, Roger; Guisnel, Jean (2007). Histoire secrète de la Ve République (in French). La Découverte. ISBN 978-2-7071-5350-0.
  16. ↑ Richelson, Jeffrey (1988). Foreign Intelligence Organizations. Ballinger Publishing Company. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-88730-121-6.
  17. ↑ Riegler, Thomas (2021-09-28). "Staatsterror per Pfeilgeschoss: Wie der französische Geheimdienst 1957 in Genf einen Schweizer Waffenhändler ermordete". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  18. ↑ "SWITZERLAND: Murder, Foreign Style". TIME. 1957-09-30. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  19. 1 2 Riegler, Von Thomas (2020-10-14). "Politischer Mord in Genf: Rattengift zum Abendessen". WOZ Die Wochenzeitung (in German). Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  20. 1 2 Von Bülow, Mathilde (2007-12-01). "Myth or Reality? The Red Hand and French Covert Action in Federal Germany during the Algerian War, 1956–61". Intelligence and National Security. 22 (6): 787–820. doi:10.1080/02684520701770626. ISSN 0268-4527.
  21. ↑ Bougherara, Nassima (2006). Les rapports franco-allemands à l'épreuve de la question algérienne (1955-1963) (in French). Peter Lang. p. 144. ISBN 978-3-03911-164-0.
  22. ↑ "Panafricain-e-s : Ruben Um Nyobè, le héros oublié du Cameroun". Le Monde (in French). 2018-03-28. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  23. ↑ Fickers, Andreas; Haude, Rüdiger; Krebs, Stefan; Tschacher, Werner (2018-10-04). Jeux sans Frontières? – Grenzgänge der Geschichtswissenschaft (in German). transcript Verlag. ISBN 978-3-8394-4105-3.
  24. 1 2 Nouzille, Vincent (2015-01-21). Les tueurs de la République (in French). Fayard. ISBN 978-2-213-67571-8.
  25. ↑ "WEST GERMANY: Red Hands Across the Border". TIME. 1959-12-21. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  26. ↑ "Un avocat kabyle est trouvé tué d'une balle de revolver". Le Monde (in French). 1959-05-25. ISSN 1950-6244. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  27. ↑ Bremner, Charles (11 July 2005). "Mitterrand ordered bombing of Rainbow Warrior, spy chief says". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  28. ↑ "Mali: mort d'un important jihadiste". RFI (in French). 2014-03-14. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  29. ↑ Diallo, Tiemoko (14 March 2014). "French air strikes kill wanted Islamist militant 'Red Beard' in Mali". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2025-12-07. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  30. ↑ "France: Jihadi Ahmed al Tilemsi, Wanted by U.S., Killed in Mali". NBC News. 2014-12-11. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  31. ↑ Berthemet, Tanguy (2014-12-11). "Le Figaro - International : Actualité internationale en direct". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  32. ↑ Lubold, Gordon; Dalton, Matthew (2016-11-27). "U.S.-French Operation Targeted Elusive North African Militant, U.S. Says". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  33. ↑ "Al-Qaeda chief in north Africa Abdelmalek Droukdel killed - France". BBC News. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  34. ↑ Roger, Benjamin; Alilat, Farid (2020-06-08). "How AQIM leader Abdelmalek Droukdel was killed in Mali". The Africa Report. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  35. ↑ Cristiani, Dario (December 4, 2020). "The Killing of Ba Ag Moussa: France, Mali and the issue of Negotiating with Jihadists". The Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  36. ↑ "French troops kill commander of al-Qaeda-linked group in Mali". Al Jazeera. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  37. ↑ Klingert, Liv (2021-09-16). "French forces kill leader of Islamic State in Greater Sahara". POLITICO. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  38. ↑ "Mort du chef jihadiste Adnan Abou Walid al-Sahraoui, ennemi numéro 1 de la France au Sahel". France 24 (in French). 2021-09-16. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
  39. 1 2 Müller, Peter F.; Mueller, Michael; Schmidt-Eenboom, Erich (2002). Gegen Freund und Feind: der BND, geheime Politik und schmutzige Geschäfte (in German). Rowohlt. ISBN 978-3-498-04481-7.
  40. ↑ Bergot, Erwan (1976). Le dossier rouge: services secrets contre F.L.N. (in French). Grasset. p. 160. ISBN 978-2-246-00365-6.
  41. 1 2 Bulow, Mathilde Von (2016-08-22). West Germany, Cold War Europe and the Algerian War. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-316-66003-4.
  42. ↑ Follorou, Jacques (2022-05-18). "Declassified documents prove France tried to assassinate one of its own citizens during Algerian War". Le Monde (in French). ISSN 1950-6244. Retrieved 2026-07-02.
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