Who Was Assata Shakur? FBI's Most Wanted With $2 Million Reward On Head Dies In Cuba

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Assata Shakur, who was a member of the Black Liberation Army and fugitive with a $2 million FBI reward on her head, died in Havana where she had to fled to after escaping from prison, Cuban officials said Friday.

In 2013 the FBI made Shakur the first woman on its most wanted terrorists list and, and, along with New Jersey authorities, raised the reward for her capture to $2 million, mentioned a report by CNN.

Joanne Deborah Chesimard, also known as 'Assata Shakur,' as per FBI records, was a US citizen wanted for escaping from prison in New Jersey, while serving a life sentence for murder. She was 78-years-old.

Assata Shakur death cause

The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs said she died in Havana of health complications and advanced age

“On September 25, 2025, American citizen Joanne Deborah Byron, 'Assata Shakur,' passed away in Havana, Cuba, as a result of health conditions and her advanced age,” said the Cuban Foreign Ministry in its post on X.

Why Assata Shakur was arrested?

Shakur, who was later put on FBI's 'most wanted list' was a vocal advocate of armed revolution in the US. She was convicted for her role in a 1973 New Jersey Turnpike shootout that left a state trooper, Werner Foerster, dead.

Assata Shakur was wounded in the crossfire and later claimed the FBI had tried to assassinate her as part of its crackdown on Black militant groups in the 1960s and '70s.

Sentenced to life for the murder of Trooper Werner Foerster, Shakur escaped from a New Jersey prison in 1979 and went underground.

How the FBI's 'most wanted' ended up in Cuba?

Years later, around 1984, Shakur resurfaced in Cuba, where Fidel Castro granted her political asylum. From there, she authored books, appeared in documentaries, and openly mocked US attempts to secure her extradition.

Born in Flushing, Queens, Shakur grew up in New York City and Wilmington, North Carolina. She became involved in political activism at Borough of Manhattan Community College and City College of New York, mentioned a report by ABC News.

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