India seeks expeditious extradition of Mallya, Nirav Modi from UK
London: India has strongly underlined its interest in the expeditious extradition of former Kingfisher Airlines chief Vijay Mallya, who has completed all the legal processes related to extradition from the UK, during talks between Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and UK Home Secretary Priti Patel in London.
On the last leg of his three-nation Europe tour, Shringla has been holding discussions in London with several UK ministers and officials and during his interactions with Patel and UK Foreign Office Minister for South Asia, Lord Tariq Ahmad, on Tuesday, the issue of economic offenders being extradited to face the Indian judicial system was among the issues raised.
We strongly underlined our interest in seeing the early, expeditious extradition of Vijay Mallya, who is an economic offender who has completed all extradition procedures in the UK. We would like him to return to India as soon as possible, said Shringla.
Also, Nirav Modi. I raised this with both Lord Ahmad and the Home Secretary, and both took very careful note of our priority and sentiments in that regard, he said.
Mallya wanted in India over fraud and money laundering charges in relation to loans taken out by his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines from state-owned Indian banks, has been found to have a case to answer in India by the UK courts. He is currently on bail, undergoing a confidential legal issue before Priti Patel can consider signing off on his extradition order.
On the other hand, Nirav Modi, the fugitive diamond merchant accused of fraud and money laundering in relation to the state-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB), is currently lodged in Wandsworth Prison in London as he fights his extradition to India at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Shringla arrived in London following visits to Paris and Berlin on Tuesday and has held a series of meetings to cover a wide range of issues, including the India-UK vaccine partnership in a post-coronavirus world and climate change as well as highlighting India's outlook on the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific region.
On India-UK bilateral ties, the Foreign Secretary noted the backdrop of Britain's exit from the European Union (EU) paving the way for a reset in the relationship both with the UK and the EU.
We are looking at early harvest deals, which would bring benefits to both our countries, followed by a more detailed, either preferential trade agreement or a free trade agreement," said Shringla.
"Obviously, a limited deal means we work on those areas on which both sides can immediately agree to. We need more time to conclude a more comprehensive trade agreement but our ministers are in touch and will work on trying to close such a deal, he said.
We are also looking at a similar deal at the EU level, but the bilateral agreement is always different from an agreement with a group, he added.
The Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Gaitri Issar Kumar, highlighted the five priority areas of food and drink, life sciences, information and communications technology (ICT), chemicals and services that have been narrowed down by both sides, with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss set to take stock of the level of movement in these areas during talks scheduled for November 9.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Prime Minister Boris Johnson are among the high-level visits from the UK to India scheduled for 2021, depending on the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown situation.
Foreign Secretary Shringla noted that with the UK currently undertaking an Integrated Review of its policy framework, the Indo-Pacific region is expected to play a key part in the transformational relationship that Raab has previously made reference to vis- -vis India.
We believe in the vision of free, open, transparent, and inclusive Indo-Pacific stakeholders; we believe in multi-polarity. The framework is there in France and Germany and we see it in the UK also, though it is yet to be articulated in the policy framework. It (the Indo-Pacific) has become more significant, relevant, and topical, said Shringla.
Besides his ministerial-level and official talks, the foreign secretary also conducted a host of discussions with leading business chiefs and CEOs and is scheduled to interact with representatives of the Indian diaspora later on Wednesday before he heads back to India at the end of his European tour.
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Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
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