The FBI is investigating new threats against Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun after agents visited his New York home and warned him, he said. Investigators told him the threat was connected to possible travel to Canada for an Oct. 18 non-binding referendum, but gave no further details. The warning follows separate contacts from the FBI and Royal Canadian Mounted Police in August and September, according to Pannun. The case comes amid existing prosecutions linked to a foiled 2023 plot against him and charges connected to the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. No new fees, forms, travel restrictions, or compliance orders have been reported. The FBI has not publicly described the evidence or identified the source of the current threat.
TLDR: Federal agents are investigating a reported threat against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun that may be linked to travel for a referendum in Canada. Investigators have not disclosed the threat’s source or nature, and no travel restriction or other compliance order has been reported.
The FBI is investigating new threats against Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who said agents visited his New York City home on Thursday and warned him of what he described as an “imminent threat” to his life. The bureau told him that the threat was connected to possible travel to Canada, according to Pannun. Agents said they were investigating leads but gave him no further information, he said.
The official rationale for the visit is clear from the information provided: the FBI is investigating leads about a threat and warned Pannun because it may be linked to his potential travel. The bureau did not immediately respond to a request for comment, so the specific evidence and any further protective steps have not been made public.
Pannun is a vocal critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was the target of a foiled 2023 assassination plot allegedly directed by a former Indian intelligence officer. The new warning comes as Pannun’s organization, Sikhs for Justice, prepares for a non-binding referendum in Edmonton, Canada, on Oct. 18.
The planned vote asks whether Punjab, a northern Indian province, should be declared independent and renamed Khalistan. Sikhs have been invited to vote. The referendum is non-binding, and the account of the FBI warning does not establish that the planned event itself is the subject of an investigation. It says the threat is connected to possible travel to Canada to participate in the vote.
Pannun said the issue was not whether he would survive another assassination plot, but whether threats could stop Sikh self-determination. His statement presents the referendum as an expression of that principle. The reported FBI visit, meanwhile, reflects an active investigation into a possible danger to him. The available information does not identify the source of the new threat or describe its precise nature.
The warning follows earlier contacts with law enforcement. Pannun said the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police contacted him in August and September about separate possible threats. He linked the start of those warnings to July, when federal prosecutors in Los Angeles announced criminal charges against a prominent leader and eight associates of the Indian organized criminal group known as Bishnoi, tying them to the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Nijjar, a prominent Sikh separatist and friend of Pannun, was killed by gunmen outside his gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023. Canadian officials said in September of that year that they had evidence linking his killing to Indian government agents, calling it a violation of Canadian sovereignty. India has denied involvement in Nijjar’s killing and the attempt on Pannun’s life. India has labeled Sikh separatists terrorists and said they threaten its security.
The earlier plot against Pannun also led to federal charges in Manhattan. Prosecutors charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta and former Indian intelligence officer Vikash Yadav with plotting to assassinate him. Pannun is a dual American and Canadian citizen. Gupta pleaded guilty in February to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is set to be sentenced in November, and Pannun is expected to speak at the sentencing. The provided account does not give a date for Yadav’s next court proceeding.
The Los Angeles indictment names the Bishnoi group’s leader and eight associates in connection with Nijjar’s assassination. It alleges that the leader continued to run a global crime syndicate from prison after being arrested by Indian authorities in 2015. The indictment also accuses the leader’s childhood friend, Satinderjit Singh Brar, of directing the group’s North American operations and ordering the assassination. Those allegations are distinct from the new threat under FBI investigation, and the available information does not say whether the current leads point to the same people.
The practical impact reported so far is limited but specific. Pannun received an in-person warning at his New York City home, and investigators are examining leads tied to possible travel to Canada for the Oct. 18 referendum. No fee, required form, travel restriction, compliance order, or deadline imposed on Pannun has been reported. The planned referendum has a date, but no further details about voting procedures appear in the account. The investigation’s scope and any additional protective measures remain undisclosed.
The next reported steps are the Oct. 18 referendum and Gupta’s November sentencing, where Pannun is expected to speak. The FBI has said it is investigating leads, but it has not provided further details publicly and did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Those proceedings and the ongoing investigation are necessary steps for establishing what the evidence supports and holding any proven offenders accountable. The available facts do not support assurances about the threat’s source or outcome.
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