 Guevara later learned there had been two failed attempts on his life by Cuban exiles during his stop at the UN complex . The first from Molly Gonzales , who tried to break through barricades upon his arrival with a seven @-@ inch hunting knife , and later during his address by Guillermo Novo , who fired a timer @-@ initiated bazooka from a boat in the East River at the United Nations Headquarters , but missed and was off target . Afterwards Guevara commented on both incidents , stating that " it is better to be killed by a woman with a knife than by a man with a gun " , while adding with a languid wave of his cigar that the explosion had " given the whole thing more flavor " . 
