“It’s something we take very seriously”: Indians amid USA Administration’s support to American Terrorist Pannun
Amid the game of indictment of an Indian in an alleged foiled assassination plot in the US of a proclaimed American terrorist, the US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller said on Tuesday that the US takes the matter ‘very seriously’.
Well Miller JI, we Indians too feel quite agitated with the games your administration is trying to play. It seems, you people have learnt nothing from the Khobragade episode of the past. Anyway India too has launched its investigation into the matter and hope the results don’t point to involvement of your officials.
Miller Bhai being a serious man, always takes things very seriously. Though defending an American terrorist leader Mr Pannun, who is a Proclaimed offender in India and who keeps issuing open threats to India is quite natural for Miller ji.
In fact he goes on to say during a media briefing in Washington “I said I wouldn’t comment on the underlying substance because it is an ongoing law enforcement matter and it would be inappropriate for me to do so when DOJ (US Department of Justice) is presenting a case in court. I also made clear that we have noted at the most senior levels of this government, the Secretary of State has raised this directly with his foreign counterpart that we take this issue very seriously.”
His statement comes after the US Justice Department unsealed an indictment against an Indian national for his alleged involvement in a foiled plot to assassinate a US citizen who is a Proclaimed terrorist leader of the Khalistan Separatist Movement in India and is New York based. This American terrorist issues open threats but still is being shielded by the US Administration. They forget the way an agitated USA had intruded into Pakistan to kill Osama Bin Laden.
The US Justice Department claimed that an Indian government employee (named CC-1), who was not identified in the indictment filed in a federal court in Manhattan, recruited an Indian national named Nikhil Gupta to hire a hitman to carry out the assassination, which was foiled by US authorities, according to prosecutors……Indian Government has outright rubbished such claims but even if this is true then why Miller is getting so agitated ? Even India has the WILL and the MEANS to exercise the same RIGHTS as the USA aka Osama Bin Laden !!!!!
Gupta is currently in custody and has been charged with murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Czech authorities arrested and detained Gupta on June 30, pursuant to the bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and the Czech Republic. Well pray do tell us Mr Miller about the maximum authorized punishment for the terrorist actions of your citizen Panunn..in India te Court’s will sentence him for Life.
In its indictment, the Justice Department has claimed that earlier this year, an Indian government employee working together with others, including Gupta, directed a plot to assassinate a “ political activist” who is a US citizen of Indian origin residing in New York City….. this American citizen is a proclaimed terrorist, this the American officials have Cleverly misrepresented.
It was alleged that Gupta is an associate of CC-1 and described his involvement in international narcotics and weapons trafficking in his communications with CC-1. The indictment claims that CC -1 directed the assassination plot from India.
At CC-1’s direction, Gupta allegedly contacted an individual whom he believed to be a criminal associate, but who was, in fact, a confidential source working with the DEA. The source, it was alleged, introduced Gupta to a purported hitman, who was a DEA undercover officer. The purported hitman was offered USD 100,000 to murder the Separatist leader, the Justice Department claimed.
The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, the Justice Department stated in a release.
The unsealing of the indictment follows the recent sharing of information by the US on a ‘nexus’ between organised criminals, gun runners and terrorists. India has since formed a high-level inquiry committee to address the security concerns highlighted by the US government.
Reacting to the Justice Department’s indictment, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said the case filed against an individual in a US court, allegedly linking him to an Indian official, was a “matter of concern” and is contrary to government policy.
“We cannot share any further information on such security matters. As regards the case against an individual that has been filed in a US court allegedly linking him to an Indian official, this is a matter of concern. We have said and let me reiterate that this is contrary to government policy” the MEA spokesperson said.
“The nexus between organised crime, trafficking and gun running and extremists at an international level is a serious issue for law enforcement agencies and organisations to consider and it is precisely for that reason that a high-level committee has been constituted and we will, obviously, be guided by its results” the spokesperson added.
