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| Revenge of Jallianwala Bagh: Teen who tried to kill the queen inspired by 'Star Wars |
A British court has heard that the man who came to Windsor Castle with a bow and arrow to 'kill' Queen Elizabeth II was inspired by the Star Wars films.
The suspect, Jaswant Singh Cheil, hailed from Hampshire and was arrested on Christmas Day in 2021 when Queen Elizabeth II was staying in Windsor due to the pandemic.
Jaswant Singh pleaded guilty to charges under the Sedition Act, including making threats to kill and possession of dangerous weapons.
The court was also told that Jaswant Singh had tried to get close to the royal family before.
During the hearing, it was revealed that the accused was applying for jobs in the armed forces to get closer to the Queen.
The court was also told that this young man, who worked in a supermarket in the past, was committed to an ideology under which the destruction of old empires and the creation of a new empire could be implemented. For this, he took the help of a legendary story like Star Wars.
In a video, Jaswant Singh introduced himself as 'Seth' and 'Darth Jones' and said he shared the secret of the assassination plot with an artificial intelligence application.
He wrote in his diary that if the queen was 'impossible to reach', he would target the prince as an alternative. His allusion was apparently to the current King Charles.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan said Jaswant Singh had applied for posts in the Royal Police, Army, and Navy but had been rejected in all of them.
He said that Jaswant was "concerned" about the "injustice" of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Jaswant Singh was born in the UK but his family is of Indian origin.
In a video produced before the court, Jaswant Singh, who was 19 years old at the time of his arrest, can be seen dressed in black and carrying a mask and a bow and arrow.
While talking to the camera, he said, "I want to apologize." I'm sorry for what I did and what I'm about to do. I'm going to try to kill Queen Elizabeth, a member of the royal family. This is revenge for the deaths of those killed in Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 and it is also revenge for those who were killed, shamed, and discriminated against for belonging to this race.
Prosecutor Morgan said Jaswant Singh's "primary motive was to create a new empire in Britain by destroying the British Empire" and "the main point of this strategy was to eliminate the head of the royal family."
He added that his ideas were based on the fantasy world of Star Wars.
Morgan added that Jaswant was attracted to the notoriety he would receive if he accomplished his mission.
"Despite his constant references to science fiction characters, Jaswant Singh was well aware of the difference between fact and fiction," Morgan said.
A royal security officer spotted Jaswant Singh in a private part of the palace on 25 December 2021 at 08:10 pm local time.
The court was told that he was wearing a mask at the time as if he was in a militia group film. He told the officer that he had come there to 'kill the queen'.
After his arrest, he admitted that he needed help with his mental health.
He told a nurse that he did not want to commit suicide and did not know that his immediate family members suffered from mental problems.
In 2022, he was declared fit for an interview. In court, Jaswant was said to have realized that "I was wrong."
An initial medical examination concluded that Jaswant required 'long-term care with a forensic psychiatric examination'.
He lied to his family about where he had been in the days leading up to Christmas. His sister believed that Jaswant was going for 'army training'.
The court was told to suggest that Jaswant had not 'lost touch with reality' but had started to become depressed towards the end of 2021.
Under the Treason Act 1841, it is an offense to assault the King or to possess an offensive weapon with intent to injure, alarm, or disturb the peace.
In 1981, Marcus Sergeant was sentenced to five years in prison under the Sedition Act after firing blank shots at the Queen as she took part in a parade on the Mall in London.
The trial is still ongoing.