US Foils India’s Terrorist Assassination Plot On American Soil

According to the article published in FT, the US foiled India’s terrorist assassination plot on Sikh rebel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil.

The Financial Times (FT) said on Wednesday that US authorities stopped an “assassination attempt” on Sikh rebel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and sent a “diplomatic warning” to the Indian government over suspicions that it was complicit in the scheme.

However, the article makes no indication of the purported incident’s date of occurrence.

The British newspaper also revealed, citing sources with knowledge of the matter, that US federal prosecutors had charged at least one alleged scheme perpetrator in a New York district court with a sealed indictment—a formal complaint filed in court with its contents kept secret.

The Washington Examiner reported that Special Forces veteran Tim Kennedy told Joe Rogan that terror attacks are coming to the US.

According to the article, the US Justice Department is considering whether to release the indictment and make the accusations public or to hold off until after Canada has concluded its inquiry into the death of another Sikh separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was assassinated there earlier this year.

Canada had stated in September that there were “credible allegations” regarding a “potential link” between the assassination of Nijjar and Indian agents.

“Further complicating the case, one person charged in the indictment is believed to have left the US, according to people familiar with the proceedings,” the FT reported.

According to the story, which cited anonymous sources who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitive nature of the material, the US had notified certain allies about the purported plot after Nijjar’s June murder.

The report also stated that these sources did not specify if the plotters decided to drop their plan against Pannun as a result of the US’s “warning” to India or if the FBI intervened and thwarted an already-existing scheme.

Arindam Bagchi, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), was contacted by ThePrint on the report, but he chose not to respond.

“We do not comment on diplomatic, law enforcement, or intelligence discussions with our partners,” stated Christopher Elms, the spokesperson for the US embassy in Delhi.

The US-based Sikhs for Justice (SF), which has been outlawed, was founded by Pannun. The group has advocated for a “referendum” to establish an independent Sikh state known as “Khalistan.” In 2019, India outlawed the SFJ, and in 2020, Pannun was classified as a terrorist.

The previous prime minister, Indira Gandhi, was slain in the wake of Operation Bluestar at Golden Temple in 1984. Pannun had cautioned Sikhs earlier this month not to fly Air India on November 19, the day of her birth. Intense films he releases are also known to threaten Indians living overseas, particularly diplomats.

US issued ‘diplomatic warning’ to India

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s high-profile state visit to Washington in June, the US reportedly sent New Delhi a “diplomatic warning” on the claimed attempt on Pannun’s life.

Similar to the Indo-Australia 2+2 dialogue on November 20, the topic of Sikh radicalism again came up during the Indo-US 2+2 dialogue on November 10.

The Indian side brought up their concerns with the US during the first meeting over the growing activities of Sikh radicals in Canada.

India’s “perspective” on its difficulties with Canada was communicated to the Australian side by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during the second meeting.

“From our point of view, the key issue is really the space which is being given to extremism and radicalism in Canada… So, it was important that Australia get our perspective on the issue,” Jaishankar said at a subsequent press conference with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong.