The United States Department of Justice on Wednesday charged an Indian national Nikhil Gupta in connection with a foiled plot to Kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. In June 2023, Nikhil Gupta, also known as Nick, was arrested by Czech authorities in conformance with the bilateral extradition treaty between the US and the Czech Republic.
#GurpatwantSinghPannun #GurpatwantSinghPannunMurderPlot #NikhilGupta #NikhilGuptaArrested #IndianNationalNikhilGupta #USChargesIndianNational #PannunFailedMurderPlot #IndiaCanadaRelations #SikhsForJustice
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#GurpatwantSinghPannun #GurpatwantSinghPannunMurderPlot #NikhilGupta #NikhilGuptaArrested #IndianNationalNikhilGupta #USChargesIndianNational #PannunFailedMurderPlot #IndiaCanadaRelations #SikhsForJustice
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NewsTranscript
00:00 The United States Department of Justice on Wednesday charged an Indian national, Nikhil
00:05 Gupta, in connection with the foiled plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannu.
00:11 In June 2023, Nikhil Gupta, also known as Nik, was arrested by Czech authorities in
00:16 confirmance with the bilateral extradition treaty between the US and the Czech Republic.
00:22 In a statement, the top federal prosecutor said, "The defendant conspired from India
00:26 to assassinate, right here in New York City, a US citizen of Indian origin who has publicly
00:32 advocated for the establishment of a sovereign state for Sikhs."
00:35 While the prosecutors did not name the target, US officials have identified him as Gurpatwant
00:41 Singh Pannu, the leader of Sikhs for Justice, a pro-Khalistan group campaigning for an independent
00:46 Sikh state.
00:47 Pannu was recently seen in a video issuing a warning to Air India travellers.
00:53 As per the US Justice Department, Nikhil is an Indian national who is an associate of
00:57 CC-1.
00:59 The department also said that Gupta was involved in narcotics and weapons trafficking.
01:04 CC-1 is an Indian government agency employee who has described himself as a senior officer
01:10 tasked with overseeing security management and intelligence.
01:14 The department also said that Nikhil Gupta had previously served in the Central Reserve
01:18 Police Force.
01:20 The plot thickens with the involvement of an unnamed Indian government employee described
01:24 as a senior field officer in security and intelligence.
01:28 This individual allegedly recruited Gupta for the assassination.
01:32 The unnamed Indian government employee, as per US authorities, agreed in dealings brokered
01:37 by Gupta to pay the undercover agent $100,000 for the killing.
01:42 Gupta believed he had found a hitman for the task.
01:45 What he did not know was that the hitman was an undercover US agent.
01:50 Gupta has apparently admitted to having a history of criminal activities.
01:54 He talked to undercover agents about his past in drug and weapon trafficking, prosecutors
01:58 said.
02:00 He faces charges of two counts of murder-for-hire and murder-for-hire conspiracy.
02:04 If found guilty, he could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
02:09 On Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs said that this is a matter of concern.
02:13 This contradicts Indian government policy.
02:16 Organised crime and gun running are serious matters.
02:19 That is why a high-level inquiry has been set up.
02:21 We cannot share anything more.
02:23 MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi made remarks after a senior Biden administration official
02:28 released a report last week claiming that the US thwarted an attempt to kill a leader
02:33 of the banned Six for Justice outfit, Gurpatwant Singh Pannu.
02:42 [BLANK_AUDIO]