A report linked the Indian government to a failed 2023 assassination attempt against an American Sikh activist critical of India.
According to intelligence, an Indian spy agency coordinated a team and called the operation a “priority” to kill the activist once his location was known.
While the assassination was being planned, the Indian Prime Minister was hosted by President Biden.
US intelligence assessed the plot was likely known to the Prime Minister’s national security adviser.
The report noted that “U.S. and Western security officials said it is unlikely that RAW would have launched such operations without a clear understanding that doing so would be met with approval by the prime minister.”
The assassination was foiled after the foreign agent hired a drug trafficker and the DEA was alerted that the murder was directed by an Indian government employee.
The White House expressed concern about the plot to India at high levels.
“When we were made aware of the fact that the defendant in this case had credibly indicated that he was directed to arrange the murder by an individual who is assessed to be an employee of the Indian Government, we took this information very seriously and engaged in direct conversations with the Indian government at the highest levels to express our concern,” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson stated.
The report also linked the Indian government to a killing in Canada, though India denies involvement in assassinations outside its borders.
“Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
“Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty. It is contrary to the fundamental rules by which free, open and democratic societies conduct themselves,” he said.
