US charges former Indian official in alleged foiled plot to assassinate Sikh separatist in New York

The United States has charged a former Indian government official with allegedly orchestrating a plot to murder a Sikh separatist in New York. The plot was foiled before the man could be killed.

An indictment against 39-year-old Vikash Yadav by the United States Department of Justice, unsealed on Thursday, identified him as a former “senior field officer” in the Research and Analysis Wing, India’s foreign intelligence service.

While prosecutors did not disclose the name of the target of the foiled plot, the Financial Times had last year identified him as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, general counsel for the US-based group Sikhs for Justice.

On Thursday, the United States Department of Justice alleged that Yadav hired an Indian citizen named Nikhil Gupta to murder Pannun. The department accused Yadav of murder-for-hire and money laundering, but said that he currently “remains at large”.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation also placed Yadav on its “wanted” list, and said that a federal arrest warrant was issued against him on October 10.

The FBI puts former R&AW agent accused as Pannun hit "mastermind" on its wanted list
A federal warrant of arrest issued on October 10 pic.twitter.com/qf73eis6tG— Suhasini Haidar (@suhasinih) October 18, 2024

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray said that the agency “will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those...

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