A man allegedly caught with a loaded crossbow in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Christmas Day said “I am here to kill the Queen”, a court has heard.
Jaswant Singh Chail, 20, from Southampton, is said to have been hooded and masked, with the safety catch off his loaded Supersonic X-Bow when he was arrested last year.
Chail told a protection officer “I am here to kill the Queen” before he was handcuffed and arrested, prosecutors told Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
He has been charged under the Treason Act, and is also accused of making threats to kill and possession of an offensive weapon.
Chail appeared at court today via video link from Broadmoor psychiatric hospital.
He sat at a table with his arms folded and only spoke to confirm his name, date of birth and current address.
The court heard claims that Chail had previously tried to join the Ministry of Defence police and the Grenadier Guards in an effort to get close to the Royal Family.
Prosecutors allege he wanted revenge for the treatment of Indians and had sent a video to about 20 people claiming he was going to try to assassinate the Queen.
Chail is accused of carrying a Supersonic X-Bow weapon, which prosecutor Kathryn Selby said had the capability to cause “serious or fatal injuries”.
Ms Selby said the case wasn’t being treated as a terrorism offence but had been dealt with by the counter-terrorism division.
The defendant was not asked to enter a plea to any of the charges and he was remanded in custody ahead of an appearance at the Old Bailey on 14 September.
