Now Reading: FBI, RCMP warn Sikh separatist Pannun of new threat on his life
-
01
FBI, RCMP warn Sikh separatist Pannun of new threat on his life
Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said on Tuesday that the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have warned him of a new credible threat to his life. FBI agents visited…
Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said on Tuesday that the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have warned him of a new credible threat to his life. FBI agents visited him last Thursday and told him not to travel until the threat is resolved, he said. The RCMP warned him by telephone on Tuesday. Neither agency provided details of the plot.
The threat comes as Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national who pleaded guilty in February to federal conspiracy charges, awaits sentencing on November 20 in Manhattan federal court for plotting to assassinate Pannun in 2023. The FBI said Gupta was directed by an Indian government employee. Federal guidelines call for at least 20 years in prison.
Pannun, who advocates for a sovereign Sikh state and is designated a terrorist by India, said he is unfazed. He said the advisories continue and draw a parallel to Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who received similar warnings before being assassinated in Canada in June 2023.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The case spotlights a simmering diplomatic conflict between India on one side and the U.S. and Canada on the other, rooted in allegations of state-directed assassinations abroad. In October 2023, Canada publicly linked Indian agents to Nijjar’s killing, sparking a row that led to expulsions of diplomats. The U.S. indictment in the Pannun plot explicitly alleged involvement of an Indian government employee, drawing Washington into the controversy. India has denied all allegations and set up a high-level inquiry committee, but no findings have been made public. The sentencing of Nikhil Gupta on November 20 will be watched closely: a conviction with a lengthy prison term, under U.S. judicial proceedings, would keep the diplomatic fallout alive rather than let it fade.
Source: thehindu.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
