Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the Sikh separatist leader who was the subject of an alleged assassination plot in the United States, accused India of "transnational terrorism" over the incident.
U.S. Federal prosecutors announced murder-for-hire charges on Wednesday against Indian national Nikhil Gupta, who is accused of plotting with an Indian government official to assassinate the U.S. citizen, who had called for a Sikh homeland to be carved out of India.
"The attempt on my life on American Soil is the blatant case of India's transnational terrorism, which has become a challenge to America's sovereignty and threat to freedom of speech and democracy, which unequivocally proves that India believes in using bullets while pro-Khalistan Sikhs believe in ballots," Pannun said in a statement to Newsweek.
Pannun has himself been charged with terrorism in India over his calls for a separate state for Sikhs, who number around 20 million in India, less than two percent of the population of the world's most populous country. He leads the group Sikhs for Justice.
Newsweek contacted Indian officials for a response to Pannun's comments.
The Indian government has said it takes the U.S. accusations seriously and will set up an official inquiry to look into the matter.
Indian officials said the Biden administration had expressed concern over the alleged plot, which comes at a time the two countries are increasingly aligned over shared concerns about China. In September, relations between Canada and India were strained after the Canadians alleged Indian government involvement in the shooting of a Sikh separatist there – an accusation denied by New Delhi.
Gupta, 52, was detained in the Czech Republic on June 30, 2023. The arrest resulted from a collaborative effort between U.S. and international law enforcement agencies.
Announcing the indictment on Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated, "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."
Attempts by Newsweek to reach Gupta or his attorney for comments were unsuccessful. The Southern District of New York's U.S. Attorney's Office underscored the principle that Gupta is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court.
According to U.S. law enforcement, Gupta collaborated with an unnamed Indian official, attempting to recruit a criminal associate to hire a hitman. The name and location of this Indian official have not been disclosed.
However, Gupta inadvertently contacted an undercover U.S. law enforcement officer. This officer then facilitated Gupta's meeting with another agent, posing as a hitman. A deal was negotiated for the Indian government official to pay $100,000 for the assassination.
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