Man accused of plotting to murder Sikh separatist extradited to US

An Indian man accused of planning to kill a Sikh separatist in New York via a murder-for-hire plot has been extradited to the US to face trial.

Nikhil Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic last year, after he was accused by US prosecutors plotting to arrange the assassination of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US resident.

Mr Gupta is accused of working with an Indian government official in the “murder for hire” plot to silence Mr Pannun, who has advocated for a sovereign Sikh state in northern India.

Mr Gupta’s extradition to the US follows a ruling by the Czech Constitutional Court to reject his petition to stay.

“On the basis of my decision on [June 3], the Indian citizen Nikhil Gupta, who is suspected of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire with intent to cause death, was extradited to the US on Friday [June 14] for criminal prosecution,” Pavel Blazek, the Czech justice minister, said.

Mr Gupta was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 30 last year, after US prosecutors discovered what they say was a six-week unsuccessful plot to assassinate Mr Pannun.

Mr Gupta, who the prosecutors described as an Indian national involved in drugs and weapons trafficking, was allegedly being directed by an Indian security official to target Mr Pannun in return for having charges against him in India dropped.

After being told his charges had been buried, Mr Gupta allegedly went about asking someone whom he thought was an alleged criminal associate if anyone could carry out a “murder-for-hire” in the United States.

However, this person was actually a source with US law enforcement – who then introduced Mr Gupta to an undercover agent posing as a hitman and Mr Gupta paid him $100,000 (£79,000) in cash to carry out the assassination, prosecutors said

As the foiled US plot unfolded, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Sikh separatist, was killed in a Vancouver suburb on June 18 by masked gunmen.

In a call the next day to his “associate”, Mr Gupta is alleged to have said Mr Nijjar had also been a target of the plot and “some other guy did this job.” He warned the source, who he still believed to be working for him, that their target was likely to take extra precaution in light of Mr Nijjar’s killing.

“Try to get this done if you have the visuals and if you are sure,” Mr Gupta said, according to a message written to the undercover DEA agent.

The next day, Mr Gupta travelled from India to Prague, where he was arrested.

In November 2023, US prosecutors charged Mr Gupta with a plot to kill at least four Sikh separatists in North America, including Mr Pannun.

Mr Pannun is the general counsel for Sikhs for Justice, an organisation based in the US that supports the Khalistan movement– which calls for an independent homeland for Sikhs and makes up about 2 per cent of India’s population. In 2020, the Indian government designated Mr Pannun as a terrorist. He denies the allegations.

The alleged plot led to a deterioration in relations between India and Canada, after Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, alleged there were “credible allegations” that Delhi had been involved. India has denied the accusations.

Mr Gupta’s lawyers have contended that he is a law-abiding businessman caught up in an escalating geopolitical “crossfire” between the US and India.