How a U.S. indictment connects to an alleged India-linked murder plot on Canadian soil

A recently unsealed U.S. criminal indictment alleging a plot connected to the Indian government to carry out multiple assassinations in North America has rattled Canadian and American relations with the world's most populous democracy.

The court document, made public Wednesday, lays out U.S. prosecutors' case against Indian national Nikhil Gupta. U.S. authorities allege Gupta was planning to kill an American Sikh political activist before he was arrested.

The indictment landed months after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shocked the House of Commons by accusing India of being behind the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.

While the indictment largely focuses on the thwarted U.S. plot, the allegations suggest a larger scheme to kill on Canadian soil.

According to U.S. prosecutors, Gupta was recruited by and received direction from an unidentified Indian government employee the indictment refers to as "CC-1."

The indictment says CC-1 worked for an Indian government agency and describes Gupta as a drug and weapons trafficker.

The U.S. case centres on Gupta's communications with CC-1 and two other people. One was a person Gupta thought was a hit man but was actually an undercover police officer, the indictment says. Gupta also spoke with a person he allegedly thought was a criminal associate who was actually a confidential source working with U.S. law enforcement, the indictment adds.

Gupta and the alleged Indian agent were in contact before and after Hardeep Singh Nijjar's death, the indictment says. Nijjar was gunned down by masked shooters in front of a Sikh temple in British Columbia on June 18.

According to the indictment, Gupta told the two law enforcement plants that the masterminds of the assassination plot in India had extensive resources.

On June 9, days before Nijjar's murder, Gupta allegedly mentioned a "big target" in Canada.

"We will be needing one good team in Canada," he told the confidential police informant, says the indictment.

Hours after Nijjar's murder, CC-1 sent Gupta a video clip showing Nijjar's bloody corpse slumped in his vehicle, according to the indictment.

The document alleges Gupta replied that he wished he had carried out the killing personally. It alleges Gupta forwarded the video clip to the undercover police officer and the confidential informant.

The indictment alleges that, while on a call with the confidential informant, Gupta said Nijjar "was also the target" but he was "#4, #3" on the list