Foiled Assassination Plot Sparks International Controversy

The Justice Department has announced charges against an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, in connection with a foiled plot to assassinate a U.S. citizen in New York City. Gupta, along with an Indian government employee, allegedly directed the plot from India to murder a U.S.-based leader of the Sikh separatist movement. Gupta recruited a confidential source, who introduced him to an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a hitman. The Indian government employee agreed to pay $100,000 for the murder. Gupta provided personal information about the target and surveillance photographs to the undercover officer. Gupta is charged with murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, with each count carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.