- By Kamal Kumar
- Fri, 18 Oct 2024 10:15 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
A former Indian intelligence officer, Vikash Yadav, was charged by the United States for allegedly plotting a failed plot to murder the Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American citizen and New York resident, the news agency Reuters reported. US authorities alleged that Yadav, a former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer, was the key mastermind behind planning a foiled assassination attempt on Pannun.
Vikash Yadav has been charged with murder-for-hire and money laundering, the report stated.
"The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the US for exercising their constitutionally protected rights," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.
Pannun, a designated terrorist and Khalistan advocate, is known for his inflammatory speeches and threats to India and Indian citizens and diplomats. With dual US-Canadian citizenship, Pannun frequents both countries to fuel anti-India rhetoric.
What Ex-RAW Officer Is Charged With?
A US Justice Department indictment report which had earlier concealed Yadav's identity as CC-1, stated that he recruited an Indian-national Nikhil Gupta to hire a hitman to assassinate Pannun. Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs released a release stating that Vikash Yadav was no longer associated with the government of India.
"The US State Department informed us that the individual in the Justice Department indictment is no longer employed by India. I confirm that he is no longer an employee of the Government of India," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a press conference today.
Earlier in June, 52-year-old Nikhil Gupta, arrested in the Czech Republic, was extradited to the US to stand trial, where he pleaded 'not guilty.' The indictment stated that he was instrumental in hiring a hitman to kill Pannun at the behest of Vikash Yadav, a former RAW officer.
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This comes as India and Canada remained embroiled in a diplomatic tussle over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in June 2023 in Surrey in the British Columbia region. While Canadian police alleged that Indian agents had hired members of an organised crime syndicate to carry out the murder, New Delhi has strongly refuted the allegations calling them 'baseless' and 'politically motivated'.