Castro versus Death

If we make a list of some of the most charismatic political leaders of modern history, indubitably Fidel Castro will top many global leaders. From 1959 to 2008, he ruled Cuba with an iron fist, defying threats from the strongest superpower of the world at his doorstep. For his revolutionary image and uncompromising attitude to his rivals and to the whims of the superpowers, he was their intelligence agencies' most sought after target. Former Cuban Intelligence chief has claimed that more than 600 attempts have been made to kill or destabilise this dictator. Political rivals, conspirators, foreign intelligence agencies used local gangsters, drug dealers and rebels to assassinate Castro to take control over Cuba, a country which was considered strategically a very important spot throughout the Cold War. Poisonous chemical Thallium was found several times in his food which could kill him slowly.

LSD was injected to his drinking water to make him talk like a mad man during radio broadcast. Bombs were placed in some of the most unconceivable places to kill this communist leader. Exploding traffic lights in Havana's streets, tide-line of exploding sea-shells when Castro went to visit a sea beach, exploding cigars, roadside bombs have made Castro headlines in the newspapers worldwide countless times. However, every time he came out alive, the failed assassination attempts gave him the opportunity to tighten his fist against any political opposition. Still this leader is alive and now at the age of 90, he advices his brother Raul Castro to rule Cuba following his footsteps. Often he says, “If surviving assassination attempts were an Olympic event, I would win the gold medal.”