London: Pro-Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun accused India of ‘transnational terrorism’ after the US foiled a plot to kill him, The Guardian reported.
The alleged attempt on his life comes months after the killing of Sikh terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in a Vancouver suburb.
A report by The Financial Times on Wednesday said the US had foiled an attempt on Gurpatwant Singh.
Following the incident, Washington reportedly said the Indian government may have had knowledge of the plot.
Nijjar’s death affected India and Canada ties after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of involvement in the murder.
Pannun, who is an American and Canadian citizen, told the Guardian that transnational terrorism is a threat to the US sovereignty, freedom of speech and democracy.
‘The foiled attempt on my life on American soil by the Indian agents is transnational terrorism which is a threat to the US sovereignty, freedom of speech and democracy, so I will let the US government respond to this threat,’ Pannun was quoted as saying.
He further accused India of ‘using mercenaries’ to target and kill Sikh activists supporting the cause of an independent Sikh homeland.
It is not immediately known how the US became aware of the plot and thwarted it; meanwhile, Washington reportedly has taken the incident seriously.
The White House spokesperson, Adrienne Watson, stated Indian officials as expressing ‘surprise and concern’ alongside claiming ‘extraterritorial assassination were not ‘their policy’.
Watson said that as India is investigating the issue, the country will have more to say about it in the days to come.
‘ We have conveyed our expectation that anyone deemed responsible should be held accountable,’ Watson reportedly said.
Pannun spearheads the demand to carve out Khalistan, an independent Sikh land from India.