US authorities have reportedly thwarted a conspiracy to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist and American-Canadian citizen, on American soil. A warning was also issued to India over suspicions of its involvement in the plot.
Pannun serves as the general counsel for Sikhs for Justice, a US-based group advocating for an independent Sikh state called Khalistan.
People privy to the case, on the condition of anonymity, did not say whether the protest lodged with India led the planners to abandon their plan or whether the FBI intervened and foiled a scheme already in motion.
The US informed allies about the plot following the murder of Canadian Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver, Canada in June. In September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” linking New Delhi to Nijjar’s fatal shooting.
An anonymous source revealed that the US protest was issued after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's high-profile state visit to Washington in June.
US federal prosecutors have filed a sealed indictment against at least one alleged perpetrator in a New York district court. The Justice Department is debating whether to unseal the indictment and make the allegations public, or wait until Canada finishes its investigation into Nijjar’s murder.
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Furthermore, a person charged in the indictment is believed to have left the US, according to those privy to the proceedings. The US Justice Department and FBI declined to comment.
The National Security Council emphasised that the US does “not comment on ongoing law enforcement matters or private diplomatic discussions with our partners” and that upholding the safety and security of US citizens was of paramount importance.
Pannun did not comment on whether the US had warned him about the plot, saying he would let Washington "respond to the issue of threats to my life on American soil from the Indian operatives”.
“The threat to an American citizen on American soil is a challenge to America’s sovereignty, and I trust that the Biden administration is more than capable to handle any such challenge,” Pannun told the Financial Times.
India has rejected claims linking it to Nijjar's murder as "absurd," and the Biden administration, cautious of public disclosure, views India as critical in countering China. It has, however, urged India to help Canada with the investigation, but has avoided being too critical in public.
Pannun recently issued a video warning Sikhs against flying on Air India as it could be “life-threatening”. He later said he was not making a violent threat against the airline.
