US Thwarts Plot To Assassinate Khalistani Terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun On American Soil

The United States foiled a plot on American soil to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and warned the Indian government expressing concerns about its alleged involvement in the conspiracy, The Financial Times reported citing sources.

Pannun is a self-proclaimed general counsel of the outlawed "unlawful association" Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) which has been aiming to revive the Khalistani movement in India.

The Financial Times reported that individuals familiar with the case did not specify whether the protest in New Delhi prompted the plotters to abandon their plan or if the FBI intervened to thwart a scheme already in motion.

As per the report, the United States shared information about the plot with certain allies after the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist who was killed in Vancouver in June.

It comes at a time when India and Canada's relationship have taken a blow after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an explosive statement in September accusing an Indian government agency of killing Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He also expelled an Indian diplomat identified as Pavan Kumar Rai, the head of India's foreign intelligence agency in Canada, the Toronto Star newspaper reported.

Pannun has been under the NIA's lens since 2019, when the anti-terror agency registered its first case against him. In September, the NIA had confiscated his share of a house and land in Amritsar in Punjab and Chandigarh.

Non-bailable arrest warrants were issued against Pannun by a NIA Special Court on February 3, 2021, and he was declared a "Proclaimed Offender" on November 29 last year.

On Monday, a case has been registered against designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun for threatening people flying Air India and the airline with closure of operations from November 19, the NIA said in a statement.