Indian-American lawmakers have expressed deep concern over an Indian being charged with an alleged plot to kill Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American-Canadian citizen.

If the issue is not addressed appropriately, it could cause significant damage to the US-India partnership, they warned after a classified briefing by the Biden administration of Nikhil Gupta’s indictment.

Mr Gupta was detained at the Prague airport in June in an action that came at the request of the US, the Czech government told NDTV on Friday. The US had submitted an extradition request two months later, they said.

Friday’s classified briefing were attended by US Representatives Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Shri Thanedar.

“We believe the US-India partnership has made meaningful impact on the lives of both of our people, but we are concerned that the actions outlined in the indictment could, if not appropriately addressed, cause significant damage to this very consequential partnership,” they said in a statement.

The US Congress members said the charges were deeply concerning and the safety of their constituents are their most important priority. They welcomed India’s move to form an enquiry committee, but said it should assure the US that such incidents will not happen again.

“We welcome the Government of India’s announcement of a Committee of Enquiry to investigate the murder plot and it is critical that India fully investigate, hold those responsible, including Indian government officials, accountable, and provide assurances that this will not happen again,” they said.

Mr Gupta, 52, moved the Supreme Court on Friday via a family member and claimed multiple violations of fundamental rights, including threats to himself and his family, and requested the Indian government to intervene in his extradition to the US. The hearing has been adjourned till January 4.

He claimed he was intercepted by “American agents” on his arrival in Prague, then bundled into a black SUV and interrogated for three hours while being driven around the foreign city. He claimed he was “forced” to eat only pork and beef during his first few days in the prison.

Nikhil Gupta has been charged by US federal prosecutors with working with an Indian government employee in the foiled plot to kill Pannun, a designated terrorist in India.

In September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had alleged the role of Indian agents in the June murder of another Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen. India had rejected the allegations as “motivated”.

The Israeli army said its troops shot and killed three hostages on Friday after “mistakenly” identifying them as a threat.

“During combat in Shejaiya, the IDF (army) mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat. As a result, the troops fired toward them and they were killed,” the army said in a statement.

“The IDF began reviewing the incident immediately… Immediate lessons from the event have been learned, which have been passed on to all IDF troops in the field,” it added, expressing “deep remorse over the tragic incident”.

The army identified two of the hostages as Yotam Haim, who was taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during Hamas’s October 7 attack, and Samer El-Talalqa, taken from Kibbutz Nir Am.

It said it was withholding the third hostage’s name at the family’s request.

Hamas kidnapped around 250 hostages during its October 7 attack on Israel, which killed 1,139 people, according to official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory war against the group has killed more than 18,700 people, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

The Israeli government has repeatedly stated that bringing home all of the hostages is one of its chief war aims.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Lalit Jha – the alleged “mastermind” behind the Parliament security breach – and his co-accused wanted to create “anarchy” in the country to compel the government to meet their demands, Delhi Police told a court on Friday. According to sources, the police will seek Parliamentary approval to recreate the incident that took place on the anniversary of the 2001 attack.

Five individuals have been arrested so far for the major security breach at Parliament involving smoke bombs and protests. While Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D were arrested from inside the Lok Sabha chamber,  Neelam Devi and Amol Shinde were detained outside the Parliament building.

Delhi Police told the Patiala House court that Jha admitted that he met with the other accused in the case several times to plan the Parliament security breach. Jha, who is from Bihar, worked as a teacher in Kolkata and was sent to seven-day police custody on Friday. 

READ | Parliament Intruder’s House Searched Day After Smoke Scare In Lok Sabha

Jha will also be interrogated to determine if the accused had any links with an enemy country or terrorist organisation. He will be taken to Rajasthan to retrace his steps as he fled to the state soon after the security breach. Jha, according to the police, threw his phone and burnt the phones of others involved in the breach. 

“After the incident, he fled to Rajasthan where he stayed for two days and returned to Delhi last night,” a Delhi Police officer said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

According to sources, Jha fled to Rajasthan’s Nagaur after the incident. Kailash and Mahesh Kumawat, who are cousins, arranged his stay there, they added. The two are yet to be arrested. 

“We are planning to approach Parliament to seek permission for recreating the crime scene inside the House and outside the Parliament building. Lalit Jha, who was arrested on Thursday, revealed during the interrogation that he had thrown his phone near the Delhi-Jaipur border and destroyed the phones of the other accused,” the police officer added. 

Jha has claimed “unemployment” as a motive behind the security breach, however, the police suspect a larger conspiracy, fueled by potential foreign funding. The police are also in the lookout for the footwear designer who crafted the shoes that concealed the smoke canisters used by the accused inside the Parliament building. 

Parliament’s CCTV footage is currently undergoing pixel-by-pixel scrutiny while mobile phone data around the scene is being collected for leads in the probe. The police also suspect a ‘Plan B’ in place had the main plan failed. 

READ | Police Explain How Sagar Sharma Smuggled Smoke Cans Into Parliament

“Jha disclosed that they wanted to create anarchy in the country so that they could compel the government to meet their demands. He took the phones (of other accused) to hide them and to destroy evidence as part of the larger conspiracy. He disclosed that he threw his phone away on his way from Jaipur to Delhi,” the police told Patiala House court.

The details of the FIR reveal a meticulously planned operation: Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D smuggled smoke canisters into the Lok Sabha chamber, concealed within custom-made shoes. These specially crafted shoes boasted hidden cavities beneath thick rubber soles, camouflaging the contraband. The two also carried pamphlets that had the picture of a fist against the backdrop of the national flag and raised slogans on the Manipur violence issue.

Simultaneously, Amol Shinde and Neelam Devi sprayed coloured gas from canisters outside the building while shouting “tanashahi nahi chalegi”.

All four are being charged under the stringent anti-terror law UAPA.