NEW DELHI: The Indian government has expressed its concern over the United States accusation of an alleged murderous plot against an Indian national.

“As regards the case against an individual that has been filed in a US court, allegedly linking him to an Indian official, this is a matter of concern,“ India’s foreign ministry spokesman said during a media briefing on Thursday.

The US Justice Department on Wednesday announced charges against Nikhil Gupta, a 52-year-old Indian national, alleging his involvement in a plot to murder a US-based Sikh separatist leader who is considered a terrorist by the Indian government.

The foiled assassination scheme’s target, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, is not mentioned by name in the indictment but referred to as “the victim” and described as an attorney and a political activist who is a US citizen of Indian origin living in New York.

An Indian government agency official, working with Gupta and others in India and elsewhere, was part of the alleged planned murder, according to court papers and a Justice Department press release.–Bernama