A British man has been charged with treason after he confessed to threatening to assassinate the late Queen Elizabeth II on Christmas Day in 2021, said police authorities.
During a Friday hearing at London's Old Bailey court, the suspect, identified as 21-year-old Jaswant Singh Chail, pleaded guilty to three charges, including treason and possession of an offensive weapon. This followed an investigation conducted by the London Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command.
British Man Charged with Treason
Two police officers described seeing the suspect within the grounds of Windsor Castle, where the late Queen was staying at the time, at around 8:10 a.m. on December 25, 2021. He was wearing black clothes and a metal mask, said a statement issued by police.
Before being arrested, Chail, who was seen in the trial via video link from Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital while holding a crossbow loaded with a bolt, said that he was planning to kill the Queen, as per CNN.
Authorities believed the suspect to have scaled the grounds perimeter using a nylon rope ladder before being taken into custody. Officials also thought that he sent the video of him threatening to kill the late Queen to roughly 20 people.
The British government charged Chail with the offenses on August 2, 2022, and the suspect is expected to receive a sentence at the Old Bailey on March 31, said the Metropolitan Police statement. The commander of the London Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, Richard Smith, said that the case was an "extremely serious incident."
Police officials added that prosecutors alleged the suspect "harbored ill-feeling towards the British Empire for its past treatment of Indian people." Their statement also said that detectives were able to find surveillance video showing Chail traveling to Windsor Castle two days before the incident. Chail has become the first person in the United Kingdom to be convicted of treason since 1981.
Attempting To Assassinate Queen Elizabeth II
When police officers encountered Chail at the grounds of Windsor Castle, one personnel took out his taser and asked the suspect, "Morning, can I help, mate?" On the other hand, Chail responded with, "I am here to kill the Queen," according to BBC.
Upon hearing the suspect's statement, the protection officer immediately told Chail to drop the crossbow he was carrying, get on his knees, and put his hands on his head. The suspect immediately complied and once again said he was there to kill the Queen.
Police authorities also found a note in Chail's possession that read, "Please don't remove my clothes, shoes and gloves, masks, etc. don't want post-mortem, don't want to embalm, thank you, and I'm sorry."
Before entering the castle, Chail posted a video on Snapchat where he repeatedly apologized for what he was planning to do. He said it was revenge for all the people who lost their lives in the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He added that his plans were for the people killed, humiliated, and discriminated against because of their race, said Fox News.
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