British prosecutors stated during a court hearing that Jaswant Singh Cheil, who was arrested on the grounds of Windsor Castle with a crossbow, admitted to police that he wanted to kill the Queen.
The Associated Press writes about it.
Jaswant Singh Cheil, 20, is charged under the High Treason Act with intent to "cause bodily harm to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II or to cause Her Majesty to be alarmed". He is also charged with threats to kill and possession of combat weapons.
Chail was detained at the royal residence on Christmas 2021, when Elizabeth II was visiting there.
Prosecutors say the former supermarket worker from Southampton was wearing a hood and mask and was holding a loaded crossbow with the safety removed. According to prosecutors, the attacker told the police officer: "Iʼm here to kill the queen." He was then handcuffed and arrested.
Prosecution lawyers argue that Cheil wanted to take revenge on the British establishment for its treatment of Indians. He sent about 20 people a video claiming he was going to kill the Queen. To get closer to the royal family, he tried to get into the ranks of the British army and the Ministry of Defense police.
Jaswant Singh Cheil attended the hearing at Westminster Magistratesʼ Court in London remotely from Broadmoor, a high-security psychiatric hospital. He will be held in custody until the next court session, which will be held on September 14.
According to the prosecutor, the charges against Cheil are not being treated as a "terrorist crime".
- In Great Britain, charges under the High Treason Act of 1842 are rare. In 1981, Marcus Sargeant was accused of firing blank shots at the Queen during the Trooping the Color parade in London. The perpetrator admitted his guilt. He was sentenced to five years in prison.
- The last person to be convicted under a separate and more serious Treason Act in 1351 was William Joyce. During World War II, he was a Nazi propagandist known as Lord Ho-Ho. In 1946, he was hanged for treason.