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]
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