An Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, has pleaded guilty in the Southern District Federal Court of New York to attempting to assassinate US citizen and Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The 54-year-old admitted before Judge Sarah Netburn that he hired a hitman in 2023 to kill Pannun, who resides in New York. Gupta told the court he paid $15,000 to someone he believed was a contract killer, who was actually linked to the US Drug Enforcement Administration. Pannun leads the US-based group Sikhs for Justice, which campaigns for an independent Khalistan state in India’s Punjab region.

According to the US Attorney’s Office, Gupta was arrested in June 2023 at Prague Airport in the Czech Republic and extradited to the United States. He has been convicted of conspiring to murder Pannun, with sentencing scheduled for May 29. Under US law, he faces 20 to 24 years in prison. FBI officials said Pannun was targeted for exercising his freedom of expression. The FBI also alleged Gupta worked with Indian intelligence officer Vikas Yadav, who remains at large.

The case has strained relations between Washington, Ottawa, and New Delhi, as the US and Canada accuse India of targeting their citizens of Indian origin. Indian officials deny the allegations, calling such actions contrary to national policy.