Sirhan Sirhan

Lore & Background

Sirhan Bishara Sirhan was born into an Arab Palestinian Christian family in Jerusalem's Musrara neighborhood. He became a Jordanian citizen in December 1949. His mother reported that he was traumatized by violence witnessed during the Arab–Israeli conflict as a child, including the death of his older brother, who was run over by a military vehicle swerving to evade gunfire.

At age 12, his family immigrated to the United States, moving briefly to New York and then to California, where he attended several schools and later Pasadena City College. He never became a U.S. citizen, retaining his Jordanian citizenship. As an adult, he changed church denominations several times and in 1966 joined the esoteric Ancient Mystical Order of the Rose Cross.

Reader's Guide

Sirhan Sirhan's assassination of Robert F. Kennedy on June 5, 1968, occurred on the first anniversary of the 1967 Arab–Israeli War and is considered by some scholars the first major incident of political violence in the United States stemming from the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Sirhan himself stated in a 1989 interview that his only connection with Kennedy was Kennedy's support of Israel and his attempt to send fighter jets to Israel.

The trial was notable for Sirhan's admission of guilt but the court's refusal to accept a guilty plea, and his subsequent conviction and death sentence, later commuted to life in prison. The case has generated enduring conspiracy theories, including claims of a second gunman, which Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has publicly supported after meeting Sirhan in prison. Sirhan remains incarcerated, with parole repeatedly denied or blocked, most recently in March 2023.

Did You Know?

• Sirhan was 24 years old at the time of the assassination.
• He was granted parole in August 2021 but California governor Gavin Newsom blocked his release in January 2022.