New plot to assassinate Sikh leader strains U.S.-India relations

Published November 29th, 2023 - 05:48 GMT
Sikh community in Canada
ctivists of the Dal Khalsa Sikh organisation, a pro-Khalistan group, offer prayers for Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in June 2023 near Vancouver, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on September 29, 2023. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
Highlights
U.S. authorities disclosed the charges on Wednesday, revealing that the suspect planned to pay an assassin $100,000 to eliminate the prominent leader advocating for a sovereign state for Sikhs.

ALBAWABA- In a significant development, a citizen of India is facing murder-for-hire charges in the U.S. for allegedly conspiring to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader residing in New York

U.S. authorities disclosed the charges on Wednesday, revealing that the suspect planned to pay an assassin $100,000 to eliminate the prominent leader advocating for a sovereign state for Sikhs. 

The complex plot involved multiple accomplices, including an Indian government employee, according to federal prosecutors. This alarming revelation has the potential to complicate the delicate relations between the United States and India.

It's worth noting that this incident follows a prior successful assassination of a Sikh cleric in Canada last September. 

The aftermath of that incident led to heightened tension between Canada and India, resulting in the expulsion of diplomats from both countries. 

Canadian Prime Minister accused Indian authorities of being behind the assassination on Canadian soil. 

The current murder-for-hire charges add another layer of complexity to Indian relations with the US, raising concerns about the implications for diplomatic ties between the U.S. and India.
 

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