(Ottawa) A man allegedly recruited by the Indian government was charged Wednesday with trying to hire a hired gunman to execute an American-citizen Sikh leader on U.S. soil. According to court documents, the case is closely linked to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
Published at 12:39 p.m.
“Sponsored murder is a crime worthy of a movie, but the intrigue in this case couldn’t be more real,” concluded the FBI’s James Smith in the press release announcing the indictment of suspect Nikhil Gupta.
The case dates back to May 2023: The Indian government employee was allegedly recruited to orchestrate the assassination of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist considered a terrorist in New Delhi, according to court documents from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York emerges.
PHOTO CRAIG RUTTLE, RELATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist considered a terrorist by the Indian government
To do this, he allegedly contacted an individual he believed to be connected to organized crime, but who was actually a confidential source for U.S. law enforcement. This person allegedly arranged a meeting with a hired gunman who was an undercover agent.
On June 9, 2023, Nikhil Gupta allegedly agreed to pay $100,000 for the victim’s murder; An initial payment of $15,000 was allegedly made by one of his employees in a vehicle in Manhattan, as we also read in American court documents.
SCREENSHOT OF THE INJURY
North of the border, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was executed by gunmen outside a temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18. He was also considered a terrorist in New Delhi and had been the subject of death threats.
“We have so many goals”
That same evening, the Indian government official who allegedly recruited Nikhil Gupta sent him a video of the bloody corpse of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The latter was also “a target” and “we have so many targets,” Nikhil Gupta is said to have told the pseudo-killer the day after the attack.
“This is now a priority,” the Indian government official also reportedly wrote to Nikhil Gupta on June 19. The latter is said to have warned the undercover agent that it was necessary to “complete four operations”. [jobs] until the 29th [juin] “, i.e. the American destination and then “three in Canada”.
According to court documents, it was also planned not to take any action at the meetings between Washington and New Delhi in the USA planned for the beginning of June: The murder of a well-known Sikh activist could lead to demonstrations and “political disputes,” said Nikhil Gupta allegedly said .
Ottawa reacts cautiously
The American conspiracy ultimately failed and Nikhil Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30 at the request of the United States. In Canada, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was not so lucky, and Prime Minister Trudeau sparked a diplomatic crisis by claiming that India sponsored the killing.
Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly declined to comment on the matter on Wednesday, arguing that she did not want to comment on the actions of American law enforcement. She also refused to say why Canada failed where the United States succeeded.
“I will not discuss what the United States is doing regarding this particular issue […] It goes to my colleague in public safety [le ministre Dominic LeBlanc]“Under the circumstances, who is better placed to discuss this than me,” she argued at a virtual press conference in Brussels.
In the wake of the Canadian government’s allegations, the Indian government declared 41 diplomats from Ottawa stationed in Indian territory persona non grata. The United States and the United Kingdom have denounced this decision, saying it violates the Vienna Convention.
The Canadian investigation into the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar is ongoing.