The revelation of assassination plots targeting Sikh separatists in the U.S. and Canada has strained relations with India, which is seen by Western nations as a key player in countering China’s influence. The Indian government denies any involvement in these plots.
New York, N.Y. An Indian man accused of involvement in a failed plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist in the United States has been extradited from the Czech Republic, according to the Czech justice minister.
Nikhil Gupta is charged by U.S. federal prosecutors with conspiring with an Indian government official to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S. resident advocating for an independent Sikh state in northern India known as Khalistan.
Gupta was apprehended by Czech authorities after traveling to Prague from India last June. His extradition was approved after a Czech court dismissed his appeal to avoid being sent to the U.S., paving the way for the Czech justice minister’s decision.
“Following my decision on June 3, Indian citizen Nikhil Gupta, suspected of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire with intent to cause death, was extradited to the U.S. on Friday, June 14, for criminal prosecution,” Czech Justice Minister Pavel Blazek announced on social media platform X.
The announcement confirmed an earlier Reuters report, which cited the federal Bureau of Prisons website and a knowledgeable source.
An inmate search on the Bureau of Prisons website revealed that Gupta, 52, is currently held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a federal administrative detention facility.
The U.S. Justice Department declined to comment on the case.
Gupta’s U.S.-based attorney, Jeffrey Chabrowe, also had no immediate comment.
In September, Canada reported that its intelligence agencies were investigating allegations linking the Indian government to the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023.
In November, U.S. authorities claimed that an Indian government official orchestrated the plot to murder Pannun, who holds both U.S. and Canadian citizenship. Gupta is implicated in this conspiracy.
Pannun told Reuters on Sunday that Gupta’s extradition is a positive development but described Gupta as merely a “foot soldier.”
The Indian government has distanced itself from the alleged plot against Pannun, asserting that such actions are contrary to its policies. India has stated it will formally investigate the security concerns raised by Washington.
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