FBI Releases Wanted Poster for Indian Ex-Government Employee in US Assassination Plot

The FBI has issued a wanted poster for Vikash Yadav, a former Indian government employee, in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate US citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The US Justice Department accuses Yadav of directing the plot from India, collaborating with co-conspirator Nikhil Gupta.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released a wanted poster for Vikash Yadav, a former Indian government employee, following allegations of his involvement in a failed assassination attempt on Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S. citizen. The Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed his employment termination from the Indian government.

Yadav, who was born in 1984 in Haryana, allegedly conspired under the alias 'Amanat' to orchestrate the plot with another Indian national. The U.S. Justice Department unveiled a second superseding indictment implicating Yadav and co-conspirator Nikhil Gupta in the scheme. While Gupta is in U.S. custody, Yadav remains at large.

The U.S. authorities allege that Yadav used his government role to target Pannun for exercising his First Amendment rights. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) played a key role in thwarting the plan and labeled Yadav as an orchestrator of the murder-for-hire. The case underscores concerns about transnational repression and security cooperation between the U.S. and India.

(With inputs from agencies.)