20. The Assassins Transformed Innocent Young Men Into Highly Trained Terrorists
The Order of Assassins’ first notable victim was Nizam al Mulk, a Grand Vizier in the Seljuk Empire. He wielded absolute power for twenty years before the Assassins got him in 1092. During their centuries of operations, the cult’s suicide squads killed many prominent Middle Eastern figures. Their victims included numerous sultans, viziers, generals, Crusader higher-ups including a King of Jerusalem, and at least two Caliphs. In his youth, King Edward I of England was grievously wounded and barely survived an attack from an Assassin who snuck into the royal tent when Edward was on Crusade.
The Assassins took innocent young men and turned them into suicide killers. However, unlike modern suicide bombers, the Assassins’ killers were carefully selected and well trained in combat and disguises. Aside from the requisite physical fitness, they had to be quick thinking, well-read, intelligent, patient, calculating, and cold. They also had to possess charisma, in order to infiltrate their opponents’ defenses, and gain access to and come within striking distance of their target.