The United States Justice Department has filed an indictment against an Indian national for his alleged involvement in a foiled plot to assassinate a US-based Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York.
The US Justice Department has claimed that an Indian government employee (named CC-1), who was not identified in the indictment filed in a federal court in Manhattan, recruited an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta to hire a hitman to carry out the assassination, which was foiled by U.S. authorities, according to prosecutors.
Gupta is currently in custody and has been charged with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Czech authorities had arrested and detained Gupta on June 30, pursuant to the bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and the Czech Republic.
In its indictment, the US Justice Department has claimed that, earlier this year, an Indian government employee working together with others, including Gupta, directed a plot to assassinate a political activist who is a U.S. citizen of Indian origin residing in New York City.
In a detailed indictment, the justice department has also shared a photograph where money is being exchanged between two unknown persons whose faces cannot be seen.
15 page US court details how the plan was to kill Khalistani extremist Pannu, names one Nikhil Gupta aka Nick who was recruited to "orchestrate assassination of victim"; Mentions how $15000 were arranged, pictures released in the court document. pic.twitter.com/nJPp0L4ueJ
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) November 29, 2023
It is claimed that Gupta is an associate of CC-1, and has described his involvement in international narcotics and weapons trafficking in his communications with CC-1. The indictment claims CC -1 directed the assassination plot from India.
On the matter, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen is quoted as saying “The dedicated law enforcement agents and prosecutors in this case foiled and exposed a dangerous plot to assassinate a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil. The Department of Justice will be relentless in using the full reach of our authorities to pursue accountability for lethal plotting emanating from overseas.”
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said: “When a foreign government employee allegedly committed the brazen act of recruiting an international narcotics trafficker to murder a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil, DEA was there to stop the plot.”
The Justice Department claimed that in or about May 2023, CC-1 recruited Gupta to orchestrate the assassination of the activist in the United States.
At CC-1’s direction, Gupta contacted an individual whom he believed to be a criminal associate, but who was in fact a confidential source working with the DEA. The source it is alleged introduced Gupta to a purported hitman, who was a DEA undercover officer. The purported hitman was offered USD 100,000 to murder the Khalistani terrorist, the Justice Department claims.
The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The indictment follows the recent sharing of information by the US on a nexus between organised criminals, gun runners and terrorists. India has since formed a high-level inquiry committee to address the security concerns highlighted by the US government, the External Affairs Ministry said on Wednesday.
The MEA said that India takes such inputs seriously since they impinge on our national security interests as well, and relevant departments were already examining the issue.
The MEA further added that in this context, on November 18, the Government of India constituted a high-level inquiry committee to investigate all the relevant aspects of the matter.
The document also mentions the murder of another Khalistani terrorist named Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. The justice department mentions Nijjar as ‘another Sikh separatist leader’ and claims that on June 20, the Indian government employee sent a news article about Pannun to Nikhil Gupta and added “It is a priority now”.
(With inputs from ANI)
