Prominent Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun stated Tuesday that the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have alerted him to a new, credible threat against his life. The warnings were issued as a man from India, Nikhil Gupta, prepares for sentencing later this year in connection with a 2023 plot to assassinate Pannun.
FBI agents reportedly informed Pannun last Thursday of the threat and advised him to notify the agency of any travel plans. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police also contacted him by telephone on Tuesday with a similar warning. Neither law enforcement agency provided specific details about the uncovered plot, and requests for comment were not immediately returned.
Pannun, who holds dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship, indicated that the advisories were provided under the U.S. "Duty to Warn" law, which requires U.S. intelligence and law enforcement to notify individuals of credible and specific threats of murder, severe bodily harm, or kidnapping.
This new threat emerges while Gupta awaits his sentencing on November 20 in Manhattan federal court. Gupta pleaded guilty in February to federal conspiracy charges, admitting to participating in a plot to assassinate Pannun. The FBI has stated that Gupta was directed by an Indian government employee to carry out the killing. Gupta was apprehended after he unknowingly communicated with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a hitman.
Pannun, identified by the Indian government as a terrorist and an advocate for a sovereign Sikh state, described himself in a phone interview as unfazed by the attempts to silence him. He expressed a hope that the administrations of President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney would address threats to U.S. and Canadian sovereignty with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He also mentioned that Canadian law enforcement had issued "Duty to Warn" advisories to Hardeep Singh Nijjar, formerly the head of the Canadian chapter of the Khalistan Referendum, in the weeks preceding his assassination on June 18, 2023, in Surrey, British Columbia. Pannun suggested that these ongoing threats bolster his resolve and confidence in his campaign.