Sikh separatist says FBI warned him of new threat against him
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun told CBS News that the FBI visited his home to warn him about what he said was an "imminent threat to my life."
Key points
- Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun says the FBI warned him of a new threat to his life.
- Pannun's group plans an October 18 referendum in Edmonton, Canada, on an independent Punjab.
- Federal prosecutors charged Nikhil Gupta and Vikash Yadav in a foiled 2023 plot against Pannun.
Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the target of a foiled 2023 assassination plot allegedly directed by a former Indian intelligence official, is facing new threats that the FBI is investigating, Pannun told CBS News on Thursday. He said FBI agents visited his New York City home earlier that day to warn him of what he called an "imminent threat to my life."
Pannun is a vocal critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His organization, Sikhs for Justice, plans to hold a non-binding referendum in Edmonton, Canada, on October 18 on whether Punjab should be declared independent and renamed "Khalistan."
Threat tied to Canada travel
Pannun said the FBI told him it is investigating leads and that the threat is connected to potential travel to Canada for the referendum, but gave him no further information. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, Pannun said the question is not whether he "survives another assassination plot," but whether the right of Sikh people to self-determination "can be stopped through assassination threats."
imminent threat to my life
— Gurpatwant Singh Pannun
Earlier charges and warnings
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan previously charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta and former Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav with plotting to assassinate Pannun, a dual American and Canadian citizen. Gupta pleaded guilty in February to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit money laundering, and is set to be sentenced in November, when Pannun is expected to speak.
The alleged plot unfolded as Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another prominent Sikh separatist and a friend of Pannun, was shot dead in June 2023 outside his gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. In September 2023, Canadian officials said they had evidence linking the killing to Indian government agents. India has denied involvement in Nijjar's killing and the attempt on Pannun's life, and has labeled Sikh separatists as "terrorists."
Pannun said the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police contacted him in August and September about other separate threats. He said the warnings began soon after federal prosecutors in Los Angeles in July announced charges against the leader of the Indian organized criminal group known as "Bishnoi" and eight associates, tying them to Nijjar's 2023 assassination.
