ABSTRACT

From January 1950 through December 2008 there were a total of nine hundred targeted attacks (assassinations, contract killings, and kidnappings) that were documented to have been perpetrated around the world. It wasn’t until the 1970s, however, that these types of attacks came into increasing use. Targeted attacks since then have been on a steady climb over the last three decades. These types of ambushes have been employed by a wide variety of adversaries, ranging from mafia families, to terrorist organizations, to business and political rivals, and even to governments.