Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun says FBI has warned him of new threat on his life

Sikh separatist Pannun says FBI, RCMP warned him of new death threat

NEW YORK — Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, general counsel for Sikhs For Justice and a vocal advocate for a sovereign Sikh state, said Tuesday that the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have warned him of a new credible threat to his life, even as a man from India awaits sentencing later this year for a 2023 assassination plot against him.

Pannun said FBI agents visited him last Thursday and advised him not to travel until the threat is resolved, and that he should notify the agency in advance if he does. He said the RCMP warned him by telephone on Tuesday, though neither agency gave details about the plot. Messages seeking comment from both agencies were not immediately returned.

Pannun, a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen, said the warnings came under a U.S. “Duty to Warn” law that obligates intelligence and law enforcement agencies to notify individuals when they discover credible and specific threats of murder, severe bodily harm or kidnapping.

The new threat comes as Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national who pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges in February, awaits sentencing on November 20 in Manhattan federal court for plotting in 2023 to assassinate Pannun. The FBI has said Gupta was directed by an Indian government employee to carry out the killing. When Gupta tried, he unwittingly communicated with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a hitman. Federal sentencing guidelines call for Gupta to spend at least two decades in prison.

Pannun, who advocates for the creation of a sovereign Sikh state and is considered a terrorist by the Indian government, said he was “unfazed and undaunted” by the threats. “I’m not afraid of their death threats,” he said, adding that he hoped the administrations of President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney would confront Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over threats to U.S. and Canadian sovereignty.

Pannun also noted that similar "Duty to Warn" advisories were issued to Hardeep Singh Nijjar before his assassination in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023. Nijjar, a Sikh separatist, was killed shortly after receiving such warnings. Pannun said the continued threats give him courage and confidence that his campaign is working.

“I'm going to continue, even at the cost of a bullet,” he said.

Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national who pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges in February, awaits sentencing on Nov. 20 in Manhattan federal court for plotting in 2023 to assassinate Pannun. The FBI has said Gupta was directed by an Indian government employee and that he unwittingly communicated with an undercover officer posing as a hitman. Federal sentencing guidelines call for at least two decades in prison.

Pannun, who is considered a terrorist by the Indian government, said he remains “unfazed and undaunted,” adding that he hopes President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will confront Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over threats to U.S. and Canadian sovereignty. He said the Modi government is proceeding “without fear of consequences.”

Pannun has described himself as a human rights lawyer campaigning to make Punjab a place where “all religions will have equal rights.”