42-year-old Balwinder Singh aka Baljit Singh aka Possi who is a citizen of India but a permanent U.S. resident has pleaded guilty to planning terror attacks in India by providing material support and resources to terrorists, according to United States Department of Justice.
Balwinder Singh, a resident of Nevada, pleaded guilty before US District Judge Larry Hicks to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, knowing and intending that such support would be used to carry out terrorist attacks overseas, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary McCord said.
"Balwinder Singh attempted to provide material support and resources to terrorists to create violence and disruption abroad," Ms McCord said.
The case was investigated by FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
He has been detained since his arrest on December 17, 2013 and was charged on December 18, 2013.
According to documents filed in court and admissions made in connection with the plea agreement, between September 2013 and Dec. 17, 2013, Singh conspired with others to support terrorist attacks in India as part of a movement to create an independent Sikh state in the Punjab region of India.
Singh communicated with co-conspirators by telephone to discuss these plans and agreed to provide material support by facilitating a co-conspirator’s travel to and within South Asia and providing funding and materials necessary to carry out an overseas attack.
In October 2013, Singh and co-conspirators agreed that one co-conspirator would travel to South Asia in the fall of 2013. Upon arrival, the co-conspirator would travel to India and commit a terror attack – likely an assassination or maiming of an Indian governmental official. The final target would be determined after the co-conspirator arrived in South Asia.
In November 2013, Singh purchased two sets of night vision goggles. In December 2013, he provided the night vision goggles to a co-conspirator who was going to carry out the planned attack. On Dec. 9, 2013, the co-conspirator attempted to board a flight from the San Francisco International Airport to Bangkok, Thailand in order to carry out the terror attack with the night vision goggles provided to him by Singh.
U.S. law enforcement prevented the co-conspirator from boarding that flight. As a result, the planned terror attack never occurred.
After these events, Singh and his co-conspirators continued to discuss and plan the terror attack in India until Singh’s arrest.
At the time of sentencing, under the plea agreement, Singh faces the statutory maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Sentencing has been set for February 27, 2017.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE TO READ:
Indian taxi driver Simardeep Singh jailed in Australia for raping passenger
