US charges Indian national for conspiring to assassinate Sikh separatist leader

Authorities have filed murder-for-hire changes against an Indian national for conspiring to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in New York City.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said in a statement Tuesday that Nikhil Gupta was arrested and detained by Czech authorities in June this year, for plotting to assassinate the Sikh leader, who was unnamed in the documents but identified as an American citizen.

Both The Washington Post and the Financial Times identified the intended victim as Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The Hill has reached out the Pannun for comment.

Authorities allege that Gupta allegedly worked with an Indian government employee, identified in the documents as CC-1, who they say directed the assassination plot from India.

The indictment added that CC-1 described himself as a “Senior Field Officer” with responsibilities in “Security Management” and “Intelligence.” And it further detailed the murder-for-hire plot against the separatist leader.

Gupta allegedly contacted an individual believed to be a criminal associate, for assistance hiring a hitman, but that person was in fact a confidential source working with the DEA. 

The individual then introduced Gupta to a hitman — another DEA undercover officer — and facilitated a $15,000 advance payment for the murder. 

Gupta allegedly directed the undercover agent to carry out the murder as soon as possible, but his instructions specified that the murder shouldn't occur around the time of anticipated engagements between high-level U.S. and Indian government officials, per the affadavit.

“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," Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen said in a statement.

"The Department of Justice will be relentless in using the full reach of our authorities to pursue accountability for lethal plotting emanating from overseas.”

The charges come just days after the U.S. raised concerns with India about reports of an assassination plot against an American Canadian Sikh separatist leader. The Financial Times reported about allegations that the U.S. had thwarted a plot to kill Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil.

National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement to The Hill last week: “We are treating this issue with utmost seriousness, and it has been raised by the U.S. Government with the Indian Government, including at the senior-most levels.”

The Indian government said last week that it has instituted a “high-level enquiry committee” to look into U.S. government reports of the alleged involvement of Indians in a plot to target a Khalistani leader in the U.S., according to Indian media reports.

Pannun accused India of using terrorism to halt his calls for an independent Sikh state known as Khalistan within India, in an email to The Hill earlier this month.

“The foiled attempt on my life on American soil by the Indian agents is transnational terrorism which is a threat to the US sovereignty, freedom of speech and democracy, so I will let the U.S. government respond to this threat,” he said.