Scotland Yard probes video showing man declaring intention to assassinate Queen to avenge Jallianwala Bagh massacre

London, December 27

A video has surfaced on social media in which a fully masked man, identifying himself as an Indian Sikh, is seen declaring to “assassinate” Queen Elizabeth II to avenge the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, prompting Scotland Yard to launch a probe, days after an intruder was arrested at the monarch’s Windsor Castle.

The video, shared on Snapshot, is that of a fully masked man who identifies himself as Indian Sikh Jaswant Singh Chail and declares that he wants to “assassinate” the monarch in revenge for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, according to The Sun newspaper which obtained the video.

The Metropolitan Police have yet not named the 19-year-old suspect, but he’s being held over mental health issues. Scotland Yard officers were investigating the video reportedly linked to the intruder armed with a crossbow arrested at Windsor Castle on Christmas Day.

The Metropolitan Police said that the arrested suspect has been sectioned under the UK’s Mental Health Act after a mental health assessment and remains “in the care of medical professionals”.

The video shows the figure dressed in a black hoodie holding the shiny black crossbow and wearing a white mask apparently inspired by Star Wars addressing the camera using a distorted voice. His message makes references to the film franchise’s mythology.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I’ve done and what I will do. I will attempt to assassinate Elizabeth, Queen of the Royal Family,” the masked man is seen saying in the video.

“This is revenge for those who have died in the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. It is also revenge for those who have been killed, humiliated and discriminated on because of their race. I’m an Indian Sikh, a Sikh. My name was Jaswant Singh Chail, my name is Darth Jones,” he says.

The massacre took place at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar during the Baisakhi festival in April 1919 when the British Indian Army under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer opened fire at a crowd staging a pro-independence demonstration, leaving scores dead.

In the video clip posted on The Sun website, the ‘Star Wars’ film-like masked figure holds a shiny black weapon and speaks in a distorted voice.

It was reportedly sent to followers of the man’s Snapchat account 24 minutes before armed security officers arrested him near the 95-year-old Queen’s private apartments.

In a message sent on Snapchat alongside the video, the teenager wrote: “I’m sorry to all of those who I have wronged or lied to. If you have received this then my death is near. Please share this with whoever and if possible, get it to the news if they’re interested.”     Police are also carrying out searches at a housing estate in Southampton, where the suspect reportedly lived with his family.

“A 19-year-old man from Southampton was arrested on suspicion of breach or trespass of a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon,” Met Police said in a statement.

“Following a search of the man, a crossbow was recovered. The man was taken into custody and has undergone a mental health assessment— he has since been sectioned under the Mental Health Act and remains in the care of medical professionals.

“Enquiries into the full circumstances of this incident are being progressed by Metropolitan Police Specialist Operations,” the statement added.

Prince Charles and wife Camilla are spending Christmas with the monarch at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, south-east England, after she took the decision to call off her traditional Christmas at Sandringham estate in Norfolk amidst a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Officers from Thames Valley and the Metropolitan Police said they responded to the breach on Saturday morning and arrested the man from Southampton. — PTI

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