State Department correspondent
About an Indian government official’s plot to assassinate the US citizen in New York City, the United States on Monday said they oppose transnational oppression no matter where it occurs or who might be conducting it.
“We have made clear that we oppose transnational oppression no matter where it occurs or who might be conducting it. That’s not a comment specific to India. That’s a comment specific to any country in the world,” said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller at a briefing when he was asked about the assassination plot to kill the US citizen who advocated for a sovereign state in India.
Miller further said, “There is an ongoing law enforcement issue here, and we don’t talk about those from this podium. I would defer to the Department of Justice to do that.”
“When this alleged incident was brought to our attention, we made it very clear at the most senior levels of our government to the most senior levels of the Indian government how seriously we would treat something like this. They have opened an investigation into the matter and we look forward to seeing the results of that investigation,” he added.
On November 29, the US Justice Department said an Indian government official directed an unsuccessful plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on US soil.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said Nikhil Gupta, 52, worked with the Indian government employee, whose responsibilities included security and intelligence, on the plot to assassinate the US citizen in New York City.
Prosecutors did not name the Indian official or the target, although they did describe the latter as a US citizen of Indian origin. US officials have named him as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual citizen of the United States and Canada.
Gupta was arrested by Czech authorities in June and is awaiting extradition. He could not be reached for comment.
News of the incident comes two months after Canada said there were “credible” allegations linking Indian agents to the June murder of a Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in a Vancouver suburb, a contention India has rejected.
Damian Williams, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, said, “The defendant conspired from India to assassinate, right here in New York City, a US citizen of Indian origin who has publicly advocated for the establishment of a sovereign state for Sikhs.”
MR/
