Many factors can contribute to someone becoming powerful. Some people may have been born into influential families or have had access to resources and opportunities that helped them achieve success. Others may have worked hard and made strategic decisions to gain power.
Powerful people can impact the lives of the masses in many ways. They can influence people’s thoughts and behavior through their actions and decisions. For example, they can use their influence to shape public opinion and sway people’s beliefs through the media. Mass media is a significant force in modern culture and can reflect and create culture. Powerful people can use their influence to shape the messages that are communicated through mass media, which can have a profound impact on people’s lives.
Why do powerful people have a risk of assassination?
Powerful people have a constant risk of assassination due to the potential impact of their death on the political system and society as a whole. Assassinations can lead to an increase in overall unrest and intensification of small-scale conflicts. Additionally, assassinations may be carried out as a means of self-defense or to prevent the victim from divulging information that could harm a resistance organization. The impact of presidential assassinations, for example, can be significant and long-lasting.
Here are some of the most protected people in the world and the reasons why they require such high-level security. We will discuss the top 10 most protected people in the world and why they need such high-level security. These are some of the most influential and powerful leaders in politics, business, and religion. They face constant threats from their enemies and rivals. Let’s look at who they are and how they are guarded.
10. King Charles III
King Charles III formally became the sovereign of the United Kingdom on September 10, 2022, at St James’s Palace in London. As head of state, his role is ceremonial, and he must remain neutral in political matters. Legislation is passed by an elected parliament. King Charles III is protected by a security team inherited from the Queen, which includes Major Jonathan Thompson. The Royalty Protection Group provides around-the-clock security, with senior officers trained in firearms, unarmed combat, advanced driving, and emergency first aid. King Charles III faces a high security threat and has been targeted by protestors in the past. His security measures include an armed security team, a large stone wall around his private home, and the discreet use of fake arms by some bodyguards to conceal guns. Royal security chiefs have ordered a review of his safety due to fears of potential protests, including on Christmas Day.
9. Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg is the co-founder and CEO of Facebook, one of the most popular and influential social media platforms in the world. He is also one of the richest people in the world, with a net worth of over $100 billion. His wealth and fame make him a target for hackers, stalkers, and terrorists. These hackers want to access his personal data, harm him or his family, or disrupt his business. He has a team of security guards who accompany him everywhere he goes. In addition, he has a security system at his home that includes bulletproof windows, panic rooms, and laser sensors.
8. King Salman of Saudi Arabia
King Salman rules Saudi Arabia, one of the most powerful and wealthy countries in the Middle East. He is regarded as the custodian of the two holy mosques in Mecca and Medina. This makes him a revered figure among Muslims around the world.
One of Saudi Arabia’s regional rivals is Iran. The two countries have engaged in proxy conflicts across the region, backing rival sides in countries including Yemen and Syria.
Iran plans to support a violent coup in Saudi Arabia by eliminating King Salman and MBS by creating political de stability.
Not just Iran or other states, King Salman also has internal security threats from radical Islamists including the Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Qaeda, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, etc.
King Salman and his successors have long battled extremist groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS. The kingdom takes the threat from these Muslim extremist groups very seriously.
King Salman has implemented various security measures during his reign.
In 2017, he set up a security agency, bringing together counter-terrorism and domestic intelligence under the authority of a single body.
In 2019, he stressed that Saudi Arabia would take appropriate measures to ensure its security. In 2021, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman implemented a package of measures that included drones, cyber-defense experts, security operations centers, and a new private security company.
King Salman has made several changes to the security apparatus of Saudi Arabia.
The new security agency is now headed by Abdulaziz bin Mohammed al-Howairini, a general who reports directly to the king.
7. Nicolás Maduro
Nicolás Maduro is the current President of Venezuela and a communist politician who has been in power since 2013. However, his leadership has been a source of controversy for many. His government is locked in a bitter power struggle with the opposition, and the country is facing a downward spiral characterized by hyperinflation, power cuts, and shortages of food and medicine. More than 5.6 million Venezuelans have fled the country due to the situation. Maduro was re-elected for a second six-year term in 2018, but the polls were widely criticized as being neither free nor fair due to the barring of many candidates and the jailing of opposition figures. Although many Venezuelans want Maduro gone, he remains in the presidential palace. Maduro has also been the target of assassination attempts, including the 2018 attack in Caracas. In response to the threats against him, Maduro announced heightened security measures in 2020. However, there are reports that Maduro’s security forces have been involved in committing crimes against humanity, such as torture and killings.
6. Pope Francis
Pope Francis is the leader of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City. He is one of the most respected and influential religious figures in the world, with over 1.3 billion followers. He is known for his humility, compassion, and reformist agenda. However, he also faces risks from radical groups who oppose his views on issues such as homosexuality, abortion, and immigration. He has a special security unit called the Swiss Guard. This unit consists of 110 highly trained soldiers who wear colorful uniforms and carry traditional weapons such as halberds and swords. He also has a personal bodyguard who accompanies him everywhere he visits.
5. Ali Khamenei
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is Iran’s spiritual leader and its highest authority – he has the final say over all government matters in the country. He controls the national police and the morality police. He became Supreme Leader in 1989 after the death of the Islamic Republic’s founding father, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Khamenei began his advanced religious studies at Qom under the most prominent Shiʿi scholars of the day, including Ruhollah Khomeini. From 1963 he was actively involved in protests against the monarchy, for which he was imprisoned several times by Iran’s security services.
Khamenei remained closely associated with Khomeini during this time. Immediately after his (Khomeini’s) return to Iran in 1979, Ali Khamenei was appointed to the Revolutionary Council.
Iran has been involved in several conflicts and tensions with its neighbors and Western powers. As Supreme Leader, Khamenei influences elections in Iran since the Iranian Constitution allows him to appoint half of the Guardian Council members and the Chief Justice of Iran. However, Khamenei is constrained and challenged by many political power centers in Iran.
There have been past assassination attempts on Ali Khamenei, including a bomb in a tape recorder during a speech in 1981. In 2011, Khamenei warned the United States against targeting Tehran over an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador. There are also concerns about Iranian assassination plots escalating, with recent plots and the 2011 attempt to assassinate the then-Saudi ambassador and dozens of other attacks. Khamenei has vowed to strike back after Qassem Soleimani’s killing.
Khamenei has significant power and influence over the country’s security apparatus. He is the commander of the armed forces and has the authority to appoint military chiefs and the heads of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and police. Khamenei packs Iran’s government with young radicals to secure his legacy and security.
4. Joe Biden
Joe Biden is the president of the United States of America, the most powerful country in the world. He is also the leader of the free world and has a huge influence on global affairs. He is responsible for making decisions that affect millions of lives around the world. Biden is one of the most protected people in the world. This is because he faces many dangers from terrorists, extremists, rogue states, and even domestic opponents. He is guarded by the Secret Service, an elite federal law enforcement agency that safeguards the president and other high-ranking officials. The Secret Service has about 3,200 special agents and 1,300 uniformed officers trained in firearms, martial arts, surveillance, and emergency medicine. They also use sophisticated technology and equipment to protect Biden from any threat. Biden travels in a specially designed limousine called “The Beast”, which is bulletproof, bombproof, and equipped with various defensive features. He also uses Air Force One, which is a modified Boeing 747 that can withstand nuclear attacks and has advanced communication systems.
3. Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping is the president of China, the most populous country in the world and a rising superpower.
He is also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC).
Xi Jinping is a very powerful figure in China and is also considered the most powerful person in CCP history after Mao. He has centralized institutional power by taking on multiple positions, including chairing the National Security Commission and new steering committees on economic and social reforms, military restructuring and modernization, and the Internet.
Xi Jinping has taken a third consecutive five-year term as party chief, making him the most powerful Chinese leader since party founder Mao Zedong. The men he’s picked for his Standing Committee are also all figures rewarded for their loyalty. There are no challengers against him now in the top tier of the party.
Xi Jinping is one of the most protected people in the world. This is because he faces many challenges/threats from rival countries, separatist movements, human rights activists, and even internal dissenters.
He is guarded by a special unit of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) called the Central Security Bureau (CSB), which consists of about 5,000 elite soldiers. They are trained in counter-terrorism, intelligence, and combat skills. They also use advanced technology and equipment to protect Xi Jinping from any possible threat. Xi Jinping travels in a specially designed limousine called the “Red Flag”, which is bulletproof, bombproof, and equipped with various defensive features. He also uses a fleet of planes modified to evade radar detection and equipped with advanced communication systems.
2. Kim Jong Un
Kim Jong Un is the supreme leader of North Korea, a secretive and isolated country with nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. He is also chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and commander-in-chief of the Korean People’s Army (KPA). He is the third generation of his family to rule North Korea. He has maintained his grip on power through purges, propaganda, and a cult of personality. Kim Jong Un is one of the most protected people in the world. This is because he faces many threats from foreign enemies, defectors, assassins, and even his family members.
Kim Jong Un’s personal security staff is known as the Supreme Guard Command, which is tasked with the protection of the North Korean leader.
This security unit consists of about 100,000 elite soldiers. They are trained in counter-terrorism, intelligence, and combat skills. They also use advanced technology and equipment to protect Kim Jong Un from any possible threat.
The Supreme Guard Command is an elite force chosen from North Korea’s most loyal political families, and they are subjected to extensive tests of health, fitness, intelligence, martial arts, looks, and loyalty. Foreigners attending any event where Kim will be present must go through hours of security procedures beforehand and surrender all electronics, including phones. The Guard Command is an elite institution close to the center of North Korean power, and it provides the centerpiece display of the annual Kimjongilia and Kimilsungia flower festivals in Pyongyang to honor Kim’s father and grandfather. Ri Yong Guk, a defector from North Korea who served on a security detail for Kim Jong Il, wrote in a 2013 memoir that as many as six different layers of security guards protected the leader on trips to the countryside to inspect military units, plants, or farms.
Kim Jong Un travels in a specially designed train called “The Peace Express”, which is bulletproof, bombproof, and equipped with various defensive features.
1. Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, is widely regarded as one of the most powerful and influential leaders in the world. He has been ruling Russia for more than two decades and has faced many challenges and threats from his opponents, both inside and outside his country.
Vladimir Putin takes various measures to ensure his personal safety. He is obsessed with his security and has a special unit of bodyguards hand-picked to protect him.
His team of elite guards, known as the Federal Protective Service (FSO), is trained to protect him at all times. The FSO has access to advanced weapons, vehicles, and technology, and can operate in any environment.
They are armed with kevlar umbrellas and bulletproof briefcases, and he has look-alike stand-ins and food tasters (blending into the crowd Putin surrounds himself by).
Putin’s security team is considered the most effective Russia has to offer, and a large amount of preparation and management is put into protecting him.
His security measures are multi-million dollars and include high-tech gadgets and advanced security systems.
In addition to that Putin has the support of the Russian military, which has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world and can deter potential aggressors. Putin’s protection is not only physical but also political and legal. He has a loyal base of supporters who admire his strong and charismatic leadership style. He also has control over most of the media, judiciary, and parliament in Russia, which makes it difficult to challenge or criticize him. Putin’s protection is so effective that he has survived several assassination attempts and maintained his grip on power despite international sanctions and pressure.
