B.C. Sikh leader one of 'so many targets,' undercover officer allegedly told in U.S. assassination plot
CTV
U.S. officials have charged an Indian national in a plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on American soil – in a case they say is connected to the slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
U.S. officials have charged an Indian national in a plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on American soil – in a case they say is connected to the slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
The U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York announced Wednesday that Nikhil Gupta has been charged with one count of murder-for-hire and one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire allegedly directed by an employee of the Indian government earlier this year.
“As alleged, the defendant conspired from India to assassinate, right here in New York City, a U.S. citizen of Indian origin who has publicly advocated for the establishment of a sovereign state for Sikhs, an ethnoreligious minority group in India," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
"We will not tolerate efforts to assassinate U.S. citizens on U.S. soil, and stand ready to investigate, thwart, and prosecute anyone who seeks to harm and silence Americans here or abroad.”
The intended victim is not named in the news release, but is described as a "vocal critic of the Indian government" who "leads a U.S.-based organization that advocates for the secession of Punjab, a state in northern India that is home to a large population of Sikhs, an ethnoreligious minority group in India."
It has been reported by The Associated Press that the intended victim was Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who has organized referendums on Sikh independence – including in B.C.
During the federal investigation, Gupta was introduced to someone he believed to be a hitman, but who was actually an undercover officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Gupta, at the behest of the Indian government employee, allegedly agreed to pay $100,000 to have the intended victim murdered in New York City.
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