London: Following an inquiry by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, 21-year-old Jaswant Singh Chail, who had entered the grounds of Windsor Castle carrying a crossbow on Christmas Day in 2021 with the intent to "kill the Queen," has admitted to a treason offence.
On Friday, Chail appeared at the Old Bailey via video link from Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire, the oldest of England's three high-security psychiatric facilities, Indian Express reported.
Chapil pleaded guilty to an offence under section 2 of the Treason Act, 1842; threats to kill (contrary to section 16 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861); and possession of an offensive weapon (contrary to section 1 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953). On Friday, March 31, he will get his sentence in the same court.
It should be remembered that Chail stated his desire to assassinate the Queen in a video aired on Snapchat minutes before his arrest, “This is revenge for those who have died in the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. It is also revenge for those who have been killed, humiliated and discriminated against because of their race.”
He had also said, “I’m an Indian Sikh, a Sikh. My name was Jaswant Singh Chail, my name is Darth Jones.”
Commander Richard Smith, who leads the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said, “This was an extremely serious incident, but one which the patrolling officers who apprehended Chail managed with great composure and professionalism. They showed tremendous bravery to confront a masked man who was armed with a loaded crossbow, and then detain him without anyone coming to harm."
According to the information provided by the Met Police, “Two officers saw Chail within the grounds of Windsor Castle at around 08:10hrs on 25 December 2021 and one approached him. He was wearing black clothing and a metal mask and said to the officers he was there to kill Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who was on the Castle’s grounds at the time. Chail was carrying a crossbow loaded with a bolt, and the officer drew their Taser. He was arrested."
Due to the nature of the incident, the Counter Terrorism Command of the Met Police assumed charge of the investigation. Detectives searched through CCTV footage and conducted other investigations before discovering that Chail had travelled to Windsor on December 23, 2021. Before being detained, he sent a group of acquaintances a video he had created in which he expressed his wish to hurt the late Queen.