Pannun murder bid: Blinken welcomes India's probe in alleged murder attempt on Sikh terrorist

New Delhi: New Delhi announcing an investigation into allegations by the US that an Indian official was involved in a foiled plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in the United States is good and appropriate, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday.

While speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv, Israel, Blinken said, "The government announced today that it was conducting an investigation, and that’s good and appropriate, and we look forward to seeing the results."

The Secretary of State was responding to a question on the appearance of an unnamed Indian official in an indictment led by federal US prosecutors in a Manhattan court on Wednesday along with an Indian national, which the Department of Justice alleges hired someone in the US to assassinate Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) chief and pro-Khalisthani activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

"This is an ongoing legal matter. So you’ll understand I can’t comment on it in detail. I can say that this is something we take very seriously. A number of us have raised this directly with the Indian Government in past weeks," Blinken added. 

The developments come weeks after a UK-based daily had reported that the US had thwarted an assassination attempt on the notorious Khalistani terrorist and leader of banned outfit SFJ on American soil.

SFJ was labeled an "unlawful association" in 2019 by India, citing its involvement in extremist activities. Pannun was listed as an "individual terrorist" by India in 2020. Like Nijjar, Pannun is a proponent of an independent Sikh homeland from India called Khalistan, which India considers as a security risk. India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) registered a case against Pannun under charges related to terrorism and conspiracy, among others. It stated he threatened in video messages to not let Air India operate anywhere in the world.

(With PTI inputs)