Gurpatwant Pannun assassination attempt: US charges ex-RAW official Vikash Yadav, releases wanted poster

Vikash Yadav: For the first time since the US accused an unnamed Indian official, referred to as CC-1, of allegedly attempting to assassinate pro-Khalistan separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, US federal prosecutors have identified Vikash Yadav as the intelligence official and charged him with murder-for-hire and money laundering.

The FBI has issued a wanted poster for Yadav. In the meantime, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on Thursday that the individual named in the US Justice Department’s indictment related to the foiled assassination plot against Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is no longer employed by the Government of India.

In its statement, the US Justice Department said that Yadav has been charged in a second superseding indictment unsealed today in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. Yadav’s alleged co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta, had previously been charged and extradited to the United States.

Attorney General Merrick B Garland has reaffirmed the US Justice Department’s dedication to holding accountable anyone who seeks to harm American citizens.

“The Justice Department will be relentless in holding accountable any person — regardless of their position or proximity to power — who seeks to harm and silence American citizens,” Merrick B Garland said.

Garland added that the US successfully thwarted an assassination attempt on an American citizen by Vikash Yadav and his co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta, on US soil. He stated, “As alleged, last year, we foiled an attempt by Vikash Yadav, an Indian government employee, and his co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta, to assassinate an American citizen on US soil. Today’s charges demonstrate that the Justice Department will not tolerate attempts to target and endanger Americans and to undermine the rights to which every US citizen is entitled.”

FBI Director Christopher Wray alleged that Yadav conspired with a criminal associate to attempt the assassination of an American citizen on US soil for exercising their First Amendment rights.

“The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the U.S. for exercising their constitutionally protected rights. We are committed to working with our partners to detect, disrupt, and hold accountable foreign nationals or others who seek to engage in such acts of transnational repression,” he further said.

(With Agency inputs)