Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a prominent Sikh separatist, announced on Tuesday that both the FBI and the RCMP have alerted him to a new credible threat to his life. This warning comes as another individual is set to be sentenced later this year for a 2023 conspiracy to kill him.
Pannun, who serves as the general counsel for Sikhs For Justice, stated that FBI agents advised him during a visit on August 12 to refrain from traveling until the threat is addressed. If he must travel, he was instructed to inform the agency of his plans beforehand.
As a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, Pannun received a phone warning from the RCMP on Tuesday; however, neither the FBI nor the RCMP disclosed any specifics about the threat. Requests for comments from both agencies have not yet been answered.
In the U.S., a “duty to warn” protocol mandates that American intelligence and law enforcement must inform individuals when they identify specific and credible threats against them, including threats of murder, serious bodily harm, or kidnapping.
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Sikhs For Justice has been conducting a series of referendums within the Sikh diaspora globally, which has incited anger from the Indian government as it advocates for an independent nation-state known as Khalistan. Recently, a referendum took place in Indianapolis, with another scheduled for Edmonton on October 18.
As reported by CBC News, Inderjeet Singh Gosal, who leads the Sikhs For Justice initiative in Canada following the 2023 shooting death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, received a warning letter about a potential threat on August 14. The RCMP initially contacted Gosal via phone.
Gosal was appointed by Pannun to take over following Nijjar’s assassination, which occurred in a Sikh temple parking lot in Surrey, B.C., on June 18, 2023.
Currently, four Indian nationals are awaiting trial in connection with Nijjar’s murder after being arrested in Edmonton and Ontario during spring 2024. Additionally, federal authorities in California charged two men earlier this summer with orchestrating the killing, although neither is in U.S. custody.
Gupta awaits sentencing
The new threat against Pannun arises as Nikhil Gupta from India is set for sentencing on November 20 in a Manhattan federal court after pleading guilty earlier this year to a conspiracy to assassinate Pannun in 2023.
The FBI has indicated that Gupta was instructed by an Indian government official to execute the assassination. During his attempts, he inadvertently communicated with an undercover officer posing as a hitman.
Gupta has pleaded guilty to charges of murder for hire, conspiracy to commit murder for hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Federal guidelines suggest that he will face a minimum of twenty years in prison.
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Pannun speaking to CBC News in 2024 after plot revealed by FBI
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Pannun, who has held Canadian citizenship since the early 2000s and resides in Ontario, expressed in a phone interview on Tuesday that he remains “unfazed and undaunted” by the attempts to intimidate him.
“I am not afraid of their death threats,” he asserted.
He urged both the U.S. and Canadian governments to challenge Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding threats to the sovereignty of the U.S. and Canada.
“The Modi administration is acting under the Trump administration without fearing any repercussions,” he stated.
Pannun indicated that the ongoing threats only bolster his resolve and confidence that his activism is effective.
“I will continue, even if it costs me my life,” he concluded.