AFP
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 14:33
A man arrested with a crossbow on the grounds of Windsor Castle on Christmas Day 2021 has admitted targeting Britain’s Queen Elizabeth.
The man, 21-year-old Jaswant Singh Chail, was arraigned this morning. He is being prosecuted under a law that criminalizes treason. Chail admitted that he threatened the queen and also that he was armed. It is the first time since 1981 that someone has been prosecuted under this law in the United Kingdom.
Chail entered the grounds of Windsor Castle early in the morning of 25 December 2021 by climbing a rope ladder over a wall. He wore a mask and carried a crossbow loaded with an arrow and unsecured. It was not until two hours later that he was noticed by a security guard. When asked what he came to do, he said “I’m here to kill the Queen”.
Do not embalm
The man from a town near Southampton was immediately arrested and taken away in handcuffs.
Chail had a note with him that made it clear that he was expecting to die in his action. For example, he wrote that he did not want a post-mortem examination and did not want to be embalmed. He also posted a video on Snapchat shortly before entering Windsor grounds announcing the assassination attempt on the Queen – who died last September – and saying he was sorry.
Amritsar
Chail said he wanted to carry out the attack in revenge for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. That is a park in the Indian city of Amritsar, not far from the Golden Temple, a holy place for Sikhs.
In the park, the British Indian Army opened fire on an unarmed crowd in April 1919. The events are also known as the Amritsar massacre. There were 379 deaths according to the official account, but it is believed that there were many more, possibly as many as a thousand.
Chail was brought before this morning via video link. He has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital. At the end of March, Chail will hear what punishment he will receive.
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