Modi's spies plotted to assassinate dissident on US soil as Indian PM ate with ... trends now
As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was enjoying the pomp and circumstance of a White House state visit last year his spy chiefs were plotting to assassinate a leading dissident on American soil, according to U.S. and Indian security officials.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill laid on all the trimmings, with lotus blooms, the symbol of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, decorating the south lawn, and a vegetarian chef flown in from California for the June 22 event.
Meanwhile, Modi's spy service was finalizing the hit, according to an explosive report in the Washington Post.
The assassination is a 'priority now,' wrote Vikram Yadav, an officer in India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) spy agency.
The idea that a friendly nation would order a killing on American territory, potentially triggering a diplomatic freeze, stunned Western officials when details emerged.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the White House last year, when he was greeted by first lady Jill Biden and President Joe Biden on June 22
So why would they do it?
'Because they knew they could get away with it,' a Western official told the newspaper.
Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S. citizen, was the target of the plot, which was eventually foiled.
But in June 2022, Yardav forwarded his details, including his address in New York, to a hired hit team.
As soon as the would-be killers could confirm that Pannun was home, he said, it will be a go ahead from us.'
Details the plot have already been set out in an indictment, but Yardav's identity and affiliation have not previously been reported and confirm for the first time that the plan was directed by India's spy agency.
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