Etymologically, the term ‘assassin’ comes from the Arabic ‘hashshashin’ which referred to a group of militant Islamic killers in the medieval Middle East. Before vanishing into the crowd, the ‘assassin’ would go alone and, in these older times, commonly kill by gouging victims, including bodyguards with a knife or sword. As they are by most today, the first assassins were hated by society as a result of their ‘hidden in plain sight’ way of life.

In contemporary times, it can be difficult to prevent a determined hired killer, especially with the arrival of new advanced and highly effective long-range weapons and firearms. Indeed, being able to engage targets from farther away dramatically increases the assassins’ potential survival rate.

So, we start to build a picture of the modern derivative of the medieval hashshashin as a lone, expert killer and firearms user. Yet, wielding a gun is not the only part of being an assassin. Today’s assassin also has to think about discretion and personal safety as well as exit routes.   
When it comes to escape routes, most modern hired guns will not enter a building without scouting the location first to find the most effective exfiltration strategies. Without a doubt, it’s good to be handy at reading maps and building.

Bold sniper tactics can allow assassins concealment and most likely an easy getaway and some prefer that when it comes to discretion. Some go for a more personal approach which may involve poisoning or suffocation, however, as being a sniper requires hours of practice. Some popular tactics, particularly the use of explosives waive discretion and attract a great deal more public attention.

The Russian authorities who were thought to have given a lethal dose of radioactive polonium-210 to Alexander Litvinenko had to face a a wave of accusations were made against them in 2006. This poison was possibly passed to him in aerosol and sprayed directly onto his food. A former KGB agent, Litvinenko had been given asylum in the UK six years earlier after citing persecution in Russia. Shortly before he passed away, he issued a statement accusing contemporary President of Russia Vladimir Putin of involvement in the poisoning. This case surely shows that poisoning does not necessarily equal discretion.

As they can not accept work or may be caught by police if they themselves are injured, personal safety is a huge issue for all assassins. Good techniques for avoiding self damage include wearing protective body armour, choosing good exit lines, strategies and regular exercise.