Accused Nikhil Gupta on Friday pleaded guilty in a US court for the unsuccessful murder plot of Khalistani separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Gupta was accused of plotting to kill Pannun on the orders of the Indian government and had earlier pleaded not guilty in a US federal court in June 2024.
Also read: Tarique's rise, Jamaat's fall, stalemate for Hasina: Key takeaways from Bangladesh elections
On Friday, Gupta, 54, pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering, US Attorney's Office in Manhattan said, Reuters reported. Following the foiled assassination attempt, Gupta was arrested in June 2023 in the Czech Republic and extradited to the US.
“Nikhil Gupta plotted to assassinate a US citizen in New York City. He thought that from outside this country, he could kill someone in it without consequence, simply for exercising their American right to free speech. But he was wrong, and he will face justice. Our message to all nefarious foreign actors should be clear: steer clear of the United States and our people,” US Attorney Jay Clayton said in a justice department statement on Friday.
Also read: Raped, filmed, forced to convert: Shocking details in gangrape of Class 11 girl in Bhopal
{{/usCountry}}Also read: Raped, filmed, forced to convert: Shocking details in gangrape of Class 11 girl in Bhopal
{{/usCountry}}While the US prosecutors accused Gupta of orchestrating to assassinate Pannun with an Indian government official, New Delhi has distanced itself from the plot saying it was against government policy.
Pannun, an India-designated terrorist, is a US resident and dual US-Canadian citizen, and the alleged murder plot has previously strained India's ties with the United States and Canada.
‘Plot’ to kill Pannun
Prosecutors had alleged that the accused Gupta worked with the Indian government to target Sikh separatist leaders abroad, which also included the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar by masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple in Western Canada in June 2023. The US claimed that Gupta had hired an assassin to kill Pannun, on the orders of Vikash Yadav, an officer with India’s external intelligence agency who is also charged in the case.
Gupta has been held without bail since his arrival in the US and faces decades in prison, while Yadav remains in India.
“Nikhil Gupta was a key participant in a murder-for-hire plot against a US citizen, a murder that was prevented thanks to the actions of US law enforcement,” FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky said.
“The US citizen became a target of transnational repression solely for exercising their freedom of speech. The message from the FBI should be clear—no matter where you are located if you try to harm our citizens we will not stop until you are brought to justice,” Rozhavsky added.
With inputs from agencies