US authorities have thwarted a conspiracy to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is the general counsel for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), on American soil and issued a warning to India over concerns that it was involved in the plot, according to multiple people familiar with the case, Financial Times reported.

Sikhs for Justice is a US-based group that is part of a movement pushing for an independent Sikh state called “Khalistan.”

People familiar with the case, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the intelligence that prompted the warning, did not say whether the protest to New Delhi led the plotters to abandon their plan, or whether the FBI intervened and foiled a scheme already in motion, Financial Times reported.

The US informed some allies about the plot following last June’s murder of Khalistan advocate Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Canada. In September, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had said there were “credible allegations” linking New Delhi to Nijjar’s fatal shooting.

One person familiar with the situation said the US protest was issued after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a high-profile state visit to Washington in June. Separate from the diplomatic warning, US federal prosecutors have filed a sealed indictment against at least one alleged perpetrator of the plot in a New York district court, according to people familiar with the case, Financial Times reported.

The US justice department is debating whether to unseal the indictment and make the allegations public or wait until Canada finishes its investigation into Nijjar’s murder.

Further complicating the case, one person charged in the indictment is believed to have left the US, according to people familiar with the proceedings.

The US Justice Department and FBI declined to comment on the matter.

The National Security Council said the US does “not comment on ongoing law enforcement matters or private diplomatic discussions with our partners” but added: “Upholding the safety and security of US citizens is paramount,” Financial Times reported.

Washington shared details of the Pannun case with a wider group of allies after Trudeau went public with details of the Vancouver killing, the combination of which sparked concern among allies about a possible pattern of behaviour.

Financial Times said Pannun would not say if US authorities had warned him about the plot. He said: “The threat to an American citizen on American soil is a challenge to America’s sovereignty, and I trust that the Biden administration is more than capable to handle any such challenge.”

White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson told the media that the U.S. government was treating this issue with utmost seriousness, and that it had been raised by it with the Indian government, including at the senior-most levels.

She added: “We understand the Indian government is further investigating this issue and will have more to say about it in the coming days. We have conveyed our expectation that anyone deemed responsible should be held accountable.”

MEANWHILE, Sikhs for Justice in a press statement on Wednesday from Washington, D.C. said:

““Violence Begets Violence, Is Modi Government Ready To Face Consequences?” questioned Pannun on the reports of attempts on his life by the Indian government.

“The foiled attempt on my life on American soil by the Indian agents is transnational terrorism which is a threat to the US sovereignty, freedom of speech and democracy, so I will let the U.S. government respond to this threat.

“Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) is using “Ballot” to liberate Punjab while India is using “Bullets” to stop the ongoing Khalistan Referendum – the motive behind India’s efforts to kill me.

“India is using mercenaries to kill Pro Khalistan Sikhs hence I dare Modi Government to declare Open Armed Conflict with Punjab and history is a witness that the Sikh sovereigntists will defend with equal force and continue to campaign for liberation of Punjab from the Indian occupation.

“At this time my focus is not threats to my life but to organize American Phase of Khalistan Referendum scheduled to start from San Francisco CA on January 28, 2024, which Indian government is attempting to block.”