U.S. Charges Indian Man With Plotting To Kill Sikh Activist

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Nov, 2023) U.S. authorities on Wednesday announced charges against a man they said was "recruited" by an Indian government employee to assassinate a pro-Khalistan Sikh leader on American soil.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said Nikhil Gupta, 52, worked with the Indian government employee, whose responsibilities included security and intelligence, on the plot to assassinate a New York City resident who advocated for a sovereign state of Khalistan.

Prosecutors did not name the Indian official or the target. Gupta was arrested by Czech authorities in June and is awaiting extradition.

"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," Damian Williams, the top Federal prosecutor in Manhattan, said in a statement.

The charges come after a senior Biden administration official last week said U.S. authorities had thwarted a plot to kill a Sikh separatist in the United States and issued a warning to India over concerns the government in New Delhi was involved.

That official said Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, was the target of the foiled plot.

The unidentified Indian government employee allegedly contacted Gupta in May to orchestrate the assassination, according to a superseding indictment unsealed Wednesday. The employee told Gupta that in exchange, the employee would help with getting a criminal case in India against Gupta dismissed.

Gupta allegedly reached out to someone he believed was a criminal associate for assistance with finding a hit man, prosecutors said, noting that the person Gupta reached out to was a source working with the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration).

The DEA source connected Gupta to the undercover DEA officer who pretended to be a hit man, the indictment stated.

The Indian government employee gave Gupta information about the victim, including phone numbers, the victim's day-to-day conduct and the victim's home address in New York City. The government employee offered to pay $100,000 for the assassination, according to the indictment.