New Delhi/IBNS: The US will no longer consider the Khalistani groups as 'protesters' and as a result, the recent attacks on Indian missions, including the latest incident in which sympathisers tried to set ablaze the Indian consulate in San Francisco, will fall under the purview of a criminal act.

According to reports, the FBI is planning to take action as per criminal laws against such groups and has named those people it seeks to target.

Earlier the US had always justified protests and other activities by such pro-Khalistan groups as freedom of expression.

“The Government of India and intelligence agencies are following up with counterparts in the US government and FBI. In India, too, we are going to file a case regarding the attack and it will be investigated by a federal agency,” an official said.

In a second such act of violence against an Indian mission within months, pro-Khalistan supporters launched an arson attack on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco on Tuesday.

The act drew strong condemnation from the US government which termed it a “criminal offence".

A video posted on Twitter dated July 2, with the words “violence begets violence” emblazoned over it, showed news articles related to the death of Canada-based Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Nijjar, one of India’s most-wanted terrorists who carried a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Canada last month.