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Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who was the people of a foiled 2023 assassination crippled allegedly directed by an ex-Indian quality official, is facing caller threats to his beingness that are being investigated by the FBI, Pannun told CBS News connected Thursday.
Pannun, a vocal professional of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that FBI agents paid a sojourn to his New York City location earlier successful the time to pass him astir what helium called an "imminent menace to my life."
On Oct. 18, his organization, Sikhs for Justice, plans to clasp a non-binding referendum successful Edmonton, Canada, connected whether the bluish Indian state of Punjab should beryllium declared autarkic and re-named "Khalistan." Sikhs person been invited to ballot connected the measure.
Pannun said successful a connection that the question is not whether helium "survives different assassination plot." Instead, it's whether the close of Sikh radical to self-determination "can beryllium stopped done assassination threats."
It cannot," helium said.
FBI agents told Pannun they are investigating leads and said the menace is connected to imaginable question to Canada to enactment successful the referendum but did not supply him with immoderate further information.
The FBI did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.
Federal prosecutors successful Manhattan antecedently charged Indian nationalist Nikhil Gupta and erstwhile Indian quality serviceman Vikash Yadav with plotting to assassinate Pannun, a dual American and Canadian citizen.
Gupta, who successful February pleaded blameworthy to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to perpetrate murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to perpetrate wealth laundering, is acceptable to beryllium sentenced successful November, and Pannun is expected to talk astatine the sentencing.
The alleged crippled targeting Pannun unfolded astatine the aforesaid clip that Hardeep Singh Nijjar, different salient Sikh separatist and person of Pannun, was gunned down and killed successful June 2023 by assassins extracurricular his gurdwara successful Surrey, British Columbia.
In September 2023, Canadian officials said they had grounds linking his sidesplitting to Indian authorities agents, successful usurpation of Canada's sovereignty.
India has antecedently denied engagement successful Nijjar's sidesplitting and the effort connected Pannun's life. It has labeled Sikh separatists arsenic "terrorists" and claims they correspond threats to India's security.
This is not the archetypal clip American oregon Canadian instrumentality enforcement officials person warned Pannun of imaginable credible threats this year. Pannun said that successful August and September, helium was contacted by some the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police astir different abstracted threats.
He said the warnings by instrumentality enforcement started not agelong aft national prosecutors successful Los Angeles successful July announced criminal charges against the salient person and 8 associates of the Indian organized transgression radical known arsenic "Bishnoi," tying them to Nijjar's 2023 assassination.
Bishnoi was arrested by Indian authorities successful 2015. Despite this, the indictment says helium continued to tally a planetary transgression syndicate from his situation cell.
Bishnoi's puerility friend, Satinderjit Singh Brar, allegedly directed the group's North American operations and is besides accused successful the indictment of ordering the assassination, the indictment said.
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