In April 1993, a plot to assassinate former President George H. W. Bush during a visit to Kuwait was uncovered and foiled just days before it could be carried out. Orchestrated by Iraqi intelligence agents, the plan involved a car bomb designed to detonate as Bush addressed a public gathering. The incident sparked international outrage and led to retaliatory U.S. military action against Iraq. Though largely forgotten today, it marked one of the few confirmed foreign government attempts to assassinate a former American president.
Political and Social Context
George H. W. Bush left office in January 1993 after losing his re-election bid to Bill Clinton. As the 41st president, Bush had presided over the end of the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the U.S.-led coalition victory in the 1991 Gulf War—an event that humiliated and angered Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Bush’s decision to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm had lasting consequences in the region. Though Saddam remained in power, Iraq suffered international isolation and economic sanctions. The regime viewed Bush not just as an enemy but as the symbol of Iraq’s postwar suffering and strategic defeat.
When Bush accepted an invitation to visit Kuwait in April 1993—just two years after the war—his presence ignited a deadly response from Baghdad.
The Plot
The assassination attempt was orchestrated by Iraq’s Mukhabarat (intelligence service). The plan was to assassinate Bush using a powerful car bomb placed along the route of a planned motorcade or outside the Kuwait University conference center where Bush was scheduled to speak on April 14, 1993.
The plot involved at least 14 individuals, including Iraqi nationals and local collaborators. One key operative was Wali Abdelhadi Ghazali, a naturalized Iraqi posing as a Kuwaiti. He and his associates smuggled explosives into Kuwait and assembled a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) to be detonated remotely.
However, Kuwaiti security forces—working with U.S. intelligence—intercepted communications and surveilled suspicious activity in advance of Bush’s visit. Days before the former president arrived, the car bomb was discovered, and the conspirators were arrested.
Timeline
April 8–12, 1993: Kuwaiti authorities and U.S. intelligence agencies monitor suspicious movements and communications among known Iraqi operatives.
April 13, 1993: Kuwaiti security forces arrest 14 men and seize a vehicle packed with over 200 pounds of plastic explosives rigged for remote detonation.
April 14, 1993: George H. W. Bush visits Kuwait safely and delivers a speech commemorating the coalition victory in the Gulf War. The assassination attempt is not immediately disclosed to the public.
April 16, 1993: Kuwaiti officials reveal the foiled plot. The United States begins investigating the Iraqi regime’s involvement.
June 26, 1993: In retaliation, President Bill Clinton orders a cruise missile strike against Iraqi intelligence headquarters in Baghdad.
The Assassination Attempt
The Iraqi plot was methodical and chilling. The attackers constructed a car bomb using plastic explosives and parked the vehicle near the venue where Bush was scheduled to speak. According to intelligence reports, the plan was to detonate the bomb remotely as Bush entered or exited the building.
Kuwaiti officials, working in tandem with the CIA and other U.S. agencies, arrested the plotters before the bomb could be deployed. The discovery of the VBIED—loaded with enough explosives to destroy a city block—confirmed the serious threat. Experts later concluded that had the bomb detonated, it would have almost certainly killed Bush and many others nearby.
Immediate Aftermath
Once the plot was made public, the Clinton administration condemned it as an act of state-sponsored terrorism. The attempted assassination of a former president, especially by a foreign government, was seen as a direct attack on U.S. sovereignty and prestige.
On June 26, 1993, President Clinton authorized 23 Tomahawk cruise missiles to strike the Iraqi Intelligence Service headquarters in Baghdad. The strike was launched from U.S. naval vessels in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf and occurred in the early morning hours. While the building was heavily damaged, Saddam Hussein and other senior regime members were unharmed.
The incident reaffirmed U.S. policy that even former presidents were deserving of full protection and that attacks against them would invite severe retaliation.
Investigation and Arrests
Kuwaiti security services arrested 14 individuals tied to the plot. The suspects confessed and provided details linking the operation to Iraq’s intelligence apparatus. The key figure, Wali Ghazali, admitted to receiving orders and support from Iraqi agents in Beirut.
U.S. forensic teams examined the bomb and confirmed the components were consistent with those used in other Iraqi-made explosives. U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA and NSA, intercepted communications that further implicated Iraqi state actors.
In June 1993, a special investigation team sent to Kuwait compiled a detailed report confirming that the plot had been orchestrated by the Mukhabarat, acting on direct orders from senior figures within Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Trial and Legal Proceedings
The suspects were tried in Kuwaiti courts. Several were sentenced to long prison terms, and others received the death penalty. Because the attack took place on Kuwaiti soil and targeted a guest of the Kuwaiti government, prosecutions were handled entirely by Kuwaiti authorities.
The U.S. did not seek extradition but collaborated closely with Kuwait throughout the investigation and trial. International observers, including legal and intelligence officials, later affirmed the legitimacy and credibility of the court proceedings.
Punishments and Legacy of the Conspirators
The would-be assassins paid a steep price. Most were imprisoned for life or executed. Iraq, however, faced an even more consequential punishment: a U.S. cruise missile strike that further isolated Saddam Hussein and signaled Washington’s unwillingness to tolerate attacks against American leaders—even after they leave office.
Though Saddam himself denied involvement, the retaliation sent a clear message: any regime plotting against U.S. presidents, sitting or former, would face devastating consequences.
Long-Term Impact on the Nation
The attempt on Bush’s life had profound implications for U.S. foreign policy. It hardened American resolve against Saddam Hussein and contributed to the ongoing containment strategy, including expanded sanctions and no-fly zones throughout the 1990s.
It also helped shape legal and security doctrine regarding the protection of former presidents. The Secret Service began extending and enhancing coverage for ex-presidents visiting high-risk regions. Moreover, the event reinforced bipartisan consensus on the need to treat state-sponsored assassination attempts as acts of war.
The 1993 missile strike was one of the first major foreign policy decisions of the Clinton presidency and showed continuity with the Bush administration’s stance on Iraq—foreshadowing the confrontational posture that would continue into the next decade.
Controversies and Conspiracy Theories
Some skeptics questioned whether the evidence truly pointed to Saddam Hussein or if the retaliation was politically motivated. However, both U.S. and Kuwaiti intelligence assessments—supported by intercepted communications, confessions, and forensic evidence—left little doubt about Iraq’s culpability.
Later intelligence reviews under both the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations reaffirmed the conclusion that the Iraqi government had orchestrated the plot.
Primary Source Appendix
- CIA and NSA intelligence reports on Iraqi involvement (April–June 1993)
- Testimonies and confessions from Wali Abdelhadi Ghazali and other co-conspirators
- U.S. Department of Defense after-action reports on the June 26 cruise missile strike
- Press coverage from The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Al-Qabas (April–July 1993)
- Kuwaiti court records and sentencing documents from the terrorism trial
- Public statements by President Clinton and Secretary of Defense Les Aspin
- Forensic analysis of the VBIED used in the assassination plot
- Bush family statements and security reviews related to former president travel abroad