An Indian citizen accused of helping to plot the murder of a U.S. citizen in New York City has been extradited to stand trial, authorities said Monday.
Nikhil Gupta, 52, pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan federal court after being extradited from the Czech Republic and landing in the US on Friday. He is charged with trying to hire someone to kill Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen.
"This murder-for-hire plot — allegedly orchestrated by an Indian government employee to kill a U.S. citizen in New York City — was a brazen attempt to silence a political activist for exercising a quintessential American right: his freedom of speech," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
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The Justice Department said Gupta conspired with the Indian government employee to take out Pannun, who has advocated for the establishment of a sovereign state for Sikhs, an ethno-religious minority group in India. He is considered a terrorist by the Indian government.
In November, federal prosecutors announced that a plot to kill Pannun had been thwarted in June of last year after a sting operation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Gupta, who claimed to be a weapons trafficker, contacted a criminal associate to help find a hit man – who turned out to be a DEA informant – to carry out the killing. The informant then introduced Gupta to a purported hit man, who was actually a DEA agent, court documents said.
In June 2023, he allegedly offered to pay $100,000 for the murder and provided surveillance photos of the alleged target.
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In a statement that he read outside the courtroom, Gupta's lawyer, Jeff Chabrowe, called the case a "complex matter for both our countries."
"It is extremely important that we refrain from rushing to conclusions so early in the process. Background and details will develop that may cast government allegations into an entirely new light. We will pursue his defense vigorously and ensure he receives full due process regardless of outside pressures."
Gupta is charged with murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, both of which carry up to 10 years in prison.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Indian Embassy in Washington D.C.
In September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were credible allegations that the Indian government had links to the assassination in that country of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India rejected the accusation as absurd.
The Associated press contributed to this report.
