US ‘foiled plot to kill India-designated terrorist Pannun on American soil, warned Delhi’, FT reports

US ‘foiled plot to kill India-designated terrorist Pannun on American soil, warned Delhi’, FT reports

New Delhi: US authorities foiled an “assassination attempt” on Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and issued a “diplomatic warning” to the Indian government over concerns it was involved in the plot, the Financial Times (FT) reported Wednesday.

However, the report does not mention when the alleged incident occurred.

Citing people familiar with the case, the British daily also reported that US federal prosecutors had filed a sealed indictment (formal accusation filed in court, contents not made public) against at least one alleged perpetrator of the plot in a New York district court.

The US Justice Department, the report says, is debating whether to unseal the indictment and make the allegations public, or wait until Canada finishes its investigation into the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Sikh separatist, who was killed in Canada earlier this year.

In September, Canada had said there were “credible allegations” about a “potential link” between Nijjar’s killing 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.

Quoting unnamed sources who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the intelligence, the report said the US had informed some allies about the alleged plot following Nijjar’s murder in June.

These sources did not say whether the US’ “warning” to India led the plotters to abandon their plan against Pannun, or whether the FBI intervened and foiled a scheme already in motion, added the report.

ThePrint reached Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi for a response on the report, but he declined to comment.

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

Pannun is the founder of the banned Sikhs for Justice (SF), a US-based group that has repeatedly called for a “referendum” for an independent Sikh state called “Khalistan”. India banned the SFJ in 2019, and Pannun was designated a terrorist in 2020.

Earlier this month, in a video message, Pannun had warned Sikhs against flying Air India on 19 November — the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was assassinated in the aftermath of the Operation Bluestar at Golden Temple in 1984. He is also known to release provocative videos threatening Indians abroad, including diplomats.

US issued ‘diplomatic warning’ to India

According to the FT report, the US issued a “diplomatic warning” to New Delhi about the alleged assassination attempt against Pannun after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s high-profile state visit to Washington in June.

The issue of Sikh extremism also cropped up during the Indo-US 2+2 dialogue on 10 November, as it did at the Indo-Australia 2+2 dialogue on 20 November.

During the first meeting, the Indian side conveyed to the US its concerns about the increasing activities of Sikh extremists in Canada.

At the second meeting, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar conveyed to the Australian side India’s “perspective” on its issues with Canada.

“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.

This report has been updated to correct a typo in the spelling of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun’s name in the first paragraph

(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)