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Nikhil Gupta's extradition: What FBI, US Attorney General said after his court appearance
Nikhil Gupta is accused of hiring a gunman for killing Pannun, a Khalistani separatist.
Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national accused of being involved in an alleged murder plot targeting Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, will face justice in an American courtroom, said United States' Attorney General Merrick Garland. Gupta, who was detained in the Czech Republic in 2023, was extradited to the US last week.
The US Attorney General said Nikhil Gupta's extradition had made it clear that the country's justice department will not tolerate attempts to silence or harm American citizens.
"Nikhil Gupta will now face justice in an American courtroom for his involvement in an alleged plot, directed by an employee of the Indian government, to target and assassinate a US citizen for his support of the Sikh separatist movement in India," he said, reported PTI.
Nikhil Gupta was on Monday produced before a federal court in New York. He pleaded not guilty.
Gupta is accused of hiring a gunman for killing Pannun. He faces a maximum jail sentence of 10 years.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco alleged that he was involved in a plot to kill the US citizen in New York City, which was a brazen attempt to silence a political activist.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said the agency will not tolerate attempts by foreign nationals to repress constitutionally-protected freedoms in the United States.
"We will continue to work with our partners at home and abroad to protect our citizens and these sacred rights," he said.
New Delhi has said they are looking into the evidence shared by the United States about the alleged murder plot.
Meanwhile, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said Gupta was an international narcotics trafficker.
According to an American court document, an Indian government employee was in touch with Nikhil Gupta as he allegedly directed the assassination plot from India.
The officer allegedly hired Gupta in May 2023 to engineer the plan to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American citizen, in the United States, they added.
