An Indian national was charged by federal prosecutors in New York for allegedly conspiring with an Indian government official to assassinate a Sikh attorney and political activist in New York, authorities said.

The suspect, Nikhil Gupta, was allegedly recruited by the government official in May to hire a hitman to kill their target, who is a Sikh separatist and advocates for the secession of the Punjab, a state in northern India, according to federal prosecutors in New York.

[The Washington Post reported separately overnight that the Biden administration is demanding answers from the Modi government in India. This is about to get ugly. — Ed]