US reveals charges in Indian assassination plot — RT World News
Prosecutors have alleged that a New Delhi official paid the price for the killing of a Sikh separatist in New York
An Indian national, arrested earlier this year in the Czech Republic, is accused of plotting to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh activist designated a terrorist by India, the US Department of Justice announced on Wednesday.
Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York unsealed the indictment against Nikhil “Nick” Gupta, 52, was charged with murder for hire and conspiracy to commit murder for hire, each punishable by up to ten years in prison.
“Murder for hire is a crime outside of a movie, but the plot in this case was very real.” FBI Assistant Director James Smith said in a statement, praising US law enforcement authorities for uncovering what he described as… “Shameless plot” To assassinate an American citizen.
He added: “We will not tolerate efforts to assassinate American citizens on American soil, and we stand ready to investigate, thwart and prosecute anyone who seeks to harm and silence Americans here or abroad.” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams of the Southern District of New York (SDNY).
The Justice Department described Singh as… “An outspoken critic of the Indian government” from “He leads a US-based organization that advocates the secession of Punjab, a state in northern India with a large Sikh population.”
Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which seeks to create an independent state called Khalistan, has been designated a terrorist group by the Indian government.
US prosecutors described Gupta as being involved in… “International trafficking in drugs and weapons” And “a partner” To the person who allegedly ordered the hit. The unnamed person has only been identified as CC-1, a “Employee of an Indian government agency” Who previously served in the country’s Central Reserve Police Force (CPRF) and “He ran the assassination plot from India.”
The indictment alleges that Gupta was recruited in May and contacted a man he believed to be a criminal but who was actually an informant for the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The informant introduced him to A “Assassin” Who turns out to be an undercover DEA agent. CC-1 allegedly offered “Assassin” $100,000 to kill Singh, $15,000 of which was paid in advance in early June.
On June 20, two days after masked killers killed Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nigar outside a temple in Canada, CC-1 allegedly sent a message to Gupta that his hit was an attack. “Priority now.” But ten days later, Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic.
Many American media open The alleged plot against Singh last week, saying Washington had done so “to caution” New Delhi from government involvement. The Indian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that the United States had done so “We shared some inputs regarding the nexus between organized criminals, arms dealers, terrorists and others.” He said a high-level committee was looking into the matter.
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