New Delhi

A man detained at Queen Elizabeth's Windsor Castle home on Christmas Day in 2021 wearing a mask and holding a crossbow told security "I am here to kill the queen", a British court heard on Wednesday.

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Jaswant Singh Chail, 20, who is facing treason charges in Britain, spent months plotting the attack and attempting to gain access to the royal family, the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London was told.

Before entering the grounds of the castle to the west of London, where the 96-year-old monarch primarily stays, Chail, a man from Southampton in southern England, shot a video, prosecutors said.

"I am sorry for what I have done and what I will do. I am going to attempt to assassinate Elizabeth, queen of the royal family," he said in the video, in which he was seen holding a crossbow and wearing a face covering.

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"This is revenge for those who died in the 1919 massacre," Chail said, referring to an incident when British troops shot dead nearly 400 Sikhs in their holy city of Amritsar in northwestern India.

"It is also revenge for those who have been killed, humiliated and discriminated on because of their race," he said.

Indians have long wanted a formal apology from Britain for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, in which British troops shot and killed unarmed citizens who had congregated to protest a colonial legislation. This incident is also known as the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.

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When visiting India in 1997, Queen Elizabeth laid a wreath at the scene of the massacre and described it as a "distressing example" of "difficult occurrences" in the past.

'SUPERSONIC X-BOW'

Chail, who participated in the court proceeding on Wednesday via videolink, spoke only briefly to confirm his name, date of birth, and residence, which he identified as the high-security psychiatric institution Broadmoor. He didn't plead guilty.

The queen, Prince Charles, and other members of her immediate family were present at the castle on the day of the intrusion.

According to the prosecution, Chail entered the property at 8:10 a.m. and was seen by a security guard in a location where the intruder would have access to the castle's private apartments.

According to the prosecution, the confiscated crossbow was a "Supersonic X-bow," whose launched bolt might result in serious or death injury.

A gas mask, rope, and electrical equipment were discovered during searches of Chail's residence, and it was discovered that he had previously applied to the Ministry of Defence and the Grenadier Guards in an effort to get in touch with the royal family.

Chail is accused of uttering death threats, having a dangerous weapon, and violating Section 2 of the Treason Act of 1842, which outlines the penalties for possessing a weapon with the aim "to hurt or frighten Her Majesty."

The case will next be heard in the Old Bailey in London on an undetermined date.

(With inputs from agencies)

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