Sikhs Charged In Germany For Planning Terrorist Attacks

[kdsingh80]

Five Sikhs charged in Germany for planning terrorist attacks

May 19, 2011, 14:31 GMT

Karlsruhe, Germany - German prosecutors on Thursday charged five Sikh

men with being members of an international terrorist group, and

accused three of them of allegedly plotting to kill political

opponents in Austria and India.

The men, aged between 31 and 41 years and of Indian and German

nationality, have been accused of being members of the Khalistan

Zindabad Force (KZF), which calls for an independent Sikh state in

the Indian subcontinent.

Two of them - the alleged ringleaders - were arrested in July, while

the other three are still at large.

Based in Germany, the men allegedly carried out the bulk of their

activities in the western Rhein-Main conurbation. Their case was

brought to the Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt, which must

formally decide whether to bring it to trial.

In the 1970s and 1980s, calls for a separate Sikh state led to

widespread violence in India, which was followed by a severe

government crackdown. The Khalistan movement exists on a much smaller

scale now.

The alleged ringleaders - identified as Bhupinder S B and Gurmit S -

and Mandeep S, a German citizen, are suspected of plotting to murder

the leader of a rival Sikh group at an event in Austria last year.

Gurmit S allegedly acquired a gun and munition, which Mandeep S was

tasked with transporting from Hamburg to Austria for the assassin,

the prosecution charged. The attack failed because of the large

police presence at the event.

The men were also involved in a plot to murder a Sikh leader in

India, the prosecution charged.

Prosecutors said the two alleged ringleaders were active in Germany

from 2009 until their arrest in July. They were allegedly in regular

contact with KZF leaders in Pakistan and were tasked with acquiring

weapons and transferring money.

Two other men, Jagtar S M and Sukhpreet S, allegedly helped the KZF

leaders carry out their tasks, in particular by acquiring weapons.

Sukhpreet S is also accused of failing to report a planned crime.

The men's surnames have not been published, in keeping with Germany's

privacy code.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1640215.php/Sikhs-charged-in-Germany-for-planning-terrorist-attacks