An alleged conspiracy to assassinate a Sikh activist with Canadian citizenship was foiled by US authorities, who then issued a warning to India’s government over concerns that they had a hand in the plot.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American-Canadian who is general counsel for Sikhs for Justice, a pro-Khalistan separatist group based in the US, was the target of an assassination attempt, according to a report byu the Financial Times.
Due to the sensitive nature of the intelligence, sources have requested anonymity and would not confirm whether or not a recent protest against New Delhi resulted in the plotters abandoning their plan or if it was because of an FBI intervention.
The US informed Canada and several other allies about the plot following the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June in Surrey, B.C.
After Nijjar’s death, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that there were “credible allegations” that linked his murder to the Indian government.
According to sources, US federal prosecutors have filed a sealed indictment against at least one of the alleged perpetrators in the plot with a New York district court, while another is believed to have fled the country.
The US Justice Department is currently debating whether or not to unseal the indictment and make the allegations public or wait for Canada to finish its investigation into Nijjar’s assassination.
The National Security Council said that the US does “not comment on ongoing law enforcement matters or private diplomatic discussions with our partners,” adding “upholding the safety and security of US citizens is paramount.”
Following Trudeau’s public details about Nijjar’s murder, the US shared further details about the Pannun case, raising concerns amongst allies regarding the potential pattern of conduct.
The Indian government has denied all allegations of having any involvement in Nijjar’s murder.
Pannun has declined to confirm whether or not US authorities warned him about the assassination attempt, saying that he would “let the US government respond to the issue of threats to my life on American soil from the Indian operative.”
“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.
Earlier this month, Indian officials were enraged by Pannun after he posted a video online warning Sikhs not to travel with Air India because it could be “life threatening.”
Washington has put pressure on the Indian government to help Canada with its investigation, however they have refrained from being overly critical of New Delhi in public regarding the Nijjar case.
US President Joe Biden views India as a member of the Quad security group, in conjunction with Australia and Japan, which is part of a broader strategy to act against China.
“It’s always unacceptable for any government to assassinate anybody anywhere in the world and we want to see the truth come to light on all these matters,” said Conservative leader Pierre Poilievere on Wednesday in Ottawa.
“Common sense conservatives have called for a foreign agent registry, which Justin Trudeau promised he would bring in last spring but still hasn’t and we’re almost at Christmas. We’re wondering when that foreign agent registry is going to appear.”
