Washington, United States

The United States on Wednesday (Oct 16) confirmed that India has detained the individual identified as "CC1" in US Department of Justice (DOJ) indictment in the plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. 

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In a press briefing on Wednesday, Spokesperson for the United States Department of State Mathew Miller said that the US was "satisfied" with India's cooperation.

CC1 no longer Indian government employee

Miller revealed that 'CC1', the Indian government official allegedly involved in the assassination plot of American citizen, Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, "is no longer an employee of the Indian Government".

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Also read | Khalistani terrorist Pannun sues India over alleged assassination plot, ‘completely unwarranted,’ says GOI

When asked if America was satisfied with the Indian Government's cooperation, the State Department spokesperson said, "We are satisfied with the cooperation".

Watch what he said here:

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He said that while "it continues to be an ongoing process" America continues "to work with them on that".

"But we do appreciate the cooperation, and we appreciate them updating us on their investigation as we update them on ours," added Miller.

When asked about further meetings with India, he said "I don’t have anything to announce today".

Who is CC1?

According to reports, CC1 is an employee (now ex) of the Indian government who was working with Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, and had asked him to pay a $15,000 upfront payment to a hitman to get Pannun killed.

Also read | Khalistani terrorist Pannun claims he has been communicating with Canada PMO for 2-3 years

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US-Canada dual citizen of Indian descent, allegedly escaped an attempt on his life in June 2023. India had designated him a terrorist in 2020. 

America had earlier shared its concerns that an Indian government official was involved in the murder plot and even issued a "diplomatic warning" in December last year. 

The Washington Post, in April 2024, reported that the operation was conducted at the behest of Vikram Yadav, an officer with India's elite intelligence agency, the Research, and Analysis Wing (R&AW), under the command of the then-R&AW chief Samant Goel. 

(With inputs from agencies)