An Indian man is said to have been looking for a contract killer in the USA to kill a Sikh activist. He apparently came across an informant from a US authority. The case is reminiscent of a murder in Canada.
An attack against a Sikh activist in the USA has apparently been foiled. According to its own information, the US public prosecutor’s office has charged an Indian who wanted to hire a contract killer for the crime.
The target was a US citizen with Indian roots living in New York City who was campaigning for a separate state for the Sikhs. According to the AP news agency, the defendant is said to have been prepared to pay $100,000 to a contract killer.
According to the statement, the man was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30th, and the charges have now been made public. It is not yet known when he will be brought to the United States.
According to information from the AP news agency, the suspected attack victim is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh activist who is classified as a terrorist by India. Pannun is one of the leading organizers of the “Khalistan Referendum”. He is said to have called on Sikhs worldwide to vote on an independent Sikh state on Indian territory.
Indian Government representatives is said to have ordered murder
According to the US Attorney’s Office in India, a representative of the Indian government agency is said to have hired the defendant to kill the activist.
The Indian Foreign Ministry responded to the allegations with a statement. The US shared some information with India, according to a statement from Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi. “India takes such submissions seriously as they also impact our national security interests,” Bagchi said. The relevant departments investigated the matter.
Apparently the US authorities became aware of the planned attack by chance. In his search for a contract killer, the defendant is said to have turned to an informant from the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), as its boss Anne Milgram announced.
Murder of Sikh activist in Canada
The plans are reminiscent of the killing of a Sikh activist in Canada in June. Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead outside a Sikh cultural center in Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in mid-September that there were “credible allegations” that India was involved in the death of the 45-year-old Canadian of Indian origin.
This resulted in the mutual expulsion of diplomats. US investigators have expressed suspicion that the Indian government may also have been aware of plans to attack a Sikh activist on American soil. As announced on Wednesday from Indian government circles, an investigative commission was then set up in India.