(from the Arabic hashishiyun, ‘smoker of hashish’) A member of a secret sect of the Ismaili branch of Shiite Islam. It was founded by Hasan ibn al‐Sabbah in 1078 to support the claim of Nizar to the Fatimid caliphate and a headquarters was established at Alamut in north‐west Persia. The assassins wielded influence through suicide squads of political murderers, convinced that they would earn a place in paradise if they died while obeying orders.