Home / Royal Mail / Windsor Castle crossbow suspect, 19, ‘who threatened to assassinate Queen’ held ‘Royal grudge’

Windsor Castle crossbow suspect, 19, ‘who threatened to assassinate Queen’ held ‘Royal grudge’

A teenager suspected of scaling Windsor Castle armed with a crossbow in a bid to assassinate the Queen on Christmas Day apparently festered a two year long hatred of the Royals.

Jaswant Singh Chail, 19, uploaded a pre-recorded video to Snapchat vowing revenge for the 1919 Amritsar, or Jallianwala Bagh, massacre, when British troops killed hundreds of Indian protesters.

Today author Saurav Dutt said Chail – who is currently sectioned under the Mental Health Act – wrote to him two years ago about the Royal family.

Mr Dutt said he had wanted an apology and his email had said: ‘The royals should say the words outright and that Prince Philip in particular was culpable as he served in the Navy with the son of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer whose order led to the massacre.’

Jaswant Singh Chail uploaded a pre-recorded video to Snapchat at 8:06am on Christmas Day, 24 minutes before a man was arrested by police inside the grounds of Windsor Castle. It has sparked a major internal security review at the estate looking at how someone could have got so far into the grounds. Chail has now been pictured for the first time.

Jaswant Singh Chail uploaded a pre-recorded video to Snapchat at 8:06am on Christmas Day, 24 minutes before a man was arrested by police inside the grounds of Windsor Castle. It has sparked a major internal security review at the estate looking at how someone could have got so far into the grounds. Chail has now been pictured for the first time.

The photos, which appear to show a studious and friendly young man, are in stark contrast with the chilling video Jaswant Singh Chail is believed to have sent to friends minutes before his arrest after he scaled a fence at Windsor Castle

The photos, which appear to show a studious and friendly young man, are in stark contrast with the chilling video Jaswant Singh Chail is believed to have sent to friends minutes before his arrest after he scaled a fence at Windsor Castle

Author Saurav Dutt said suspect emailed two years ago calling for a Royal family apology

Author Saurav Dutt said suspect emailed two years ago calling for a Royal family apology

The author told The Sun Chail had seen him at a panel discussion on the massacre. 

Chail uploaded his pre-recorded video to Snapchat at 8:06am on Christmas Day, 24 minutes before a man was arrested by police inside the grounds of Windsor Castle.

His father, Jasbir Singh Chail, 57,  had told neighbours at the height of the lockdown that he was concerned about the impact it was having on his son, who was known as Jas, claiming that it had left him ‘isolated and demotivated.’

One neighbour on the private estate where the Chail family live in North Baddesley, just outside Southampton, told MailOnline yesterday: ‘The dad would see me doing chores outside my house and would often come over to chat and tell me how envious he was because his son wasn’t do anything around the house.

‘He mentioned a few times how difficult it was getting his son involved in anything positive or trying to motivate him and was blaming the lockdown. The dad told me that his son was spending more time alone in his room on social media and the lockdown had made this worse.’

The neighbour, who did not want to be named, added: ‘I think the lockdown was quite frustrating for the dad as it was for the parents of a lot of teenagers. From what I could gather, Jas wasn’t doing anything constructive throughout the lockdown’

Another neighbour added: ‘The dad seemed a bit worried about his son and said that he was quite demotivated and isolated. I just put it down to parents moaning about their teenage kids but the lockdown definitely made it worse for the family.’

More armed police were noticeable in Windsor today after the huge security breach

More armed police were noticeable in Windsor today after the huge security breach

His father, Jasbir Singh Chail, 57, a software engineer who runs an IT company from the family’s £500,000 four-bed home on a private estate in the village of North Baddesley, Hampshire, yesterday said something had gone ‘horribly wrong’ with his son

His father, Jasbir Singh Chail, 57, a software engineer who runs an IT company from the family’s £500,000 four-bed home on a private estate in the village of North Baddesley, Hampshire, yesterday said something had gone ‘horribly wrong’ with his son

School friends described Chail as an oddball who tried to make others laugh with inappropriate jokes in the classroom

School friends described Chail as an oddball who tried to make others laugh with inappropriate jokes in the classroom

Chail’s father, a software engineer who runs an IT company from the family’s £500,000 four-bed home, yesterday told MailOnline something had gone ‘horribly wrong’ with his son.

‘We are trying to figure out what,’ he said.

‘We’ve not had a chance to speak to him but are trying to get him the help he needs. We are going through a difficult time. We are trying to resolve this issue and it’s not easy.’

In the video footage, the masked and hooded 19-year-old aims a black crossbow at the camera as he pledges to kill the monarch in revenge for the 1919 Amritsar, or Jallianwala Bagh, massacre, when British troops killed hundreds of Indian protesters.

In an artificially deep voice that he has digitally distorted, Chail says: ‘If you have received this then my death is near.’

He adds: ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I’ve done and what I will do. I will attempt to assassinate Elizabeth, Queen of the Royal Family. ‘

Police confirmed a crossbow was found after the intruder was detained in the castle grounds while the Queen (pictured delivering the annual Christmas Day speech) was in residence

Police confirmed a crossbow was found after the intruder was detained in the castle grounds while the Queen (pictured delivering the annual Christmas Day speech) was in residence 

What was the 1919 Amritsar massacre, also known as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre?

The Amritsar massacre, otherwise known as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, took place on April 13, 1919, during a protest against the arrest of two pro-Indian independence leaders.

It took place in a historic garden, called Jallianwala Bagh, close to the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar.  

Brigadier-General R. E. H. Dyer surrounded the protesters in response, leaving them with only one exit to get out of the Bagh. 

He then ordered his troops to shoot demonstrators, including those who were fleeing the massacre. 

On his orders, his soldiers only stopped firing when they had exhausted their ammunition.

Estimates of the death toll range between 379 and more than 1500. 

A further 1200 people were injured, among them 192 who sustained serious injuries. 

The massacre led to a re-evaluation of the British Army’s use of force and soldiers were subsequently trained in less violent methods of crowd control. 

But it also led to a complete loss of trust in the British Army by Indian civilians and, some historians have argued, paved the way for Indian independence from British rule. 

Just minutes after the police swooped on the intruder, Prince Andrew was seen driving down the Long Walk in his Range Rover with a protection officer. 

He was diverted away from the Cambridge Gate. Prince Charles and Camilla arrived on the estate at about 10am.

The Christmas Day intruder was sectioned under the Mental Health Act after doctors pronounced him medically unfit to be processed in the usual way.

Scotland Yard, which took over the investigation from Thames Valley Police on Boxing Day due to the serious nature of the breach, said the suspect remains in the care of medical professionals.

Doctors and detectives are now examining the bizarre footage in which Chail apparently makes various references to villains from the Star Wars film series.

‘I’m an Indian Sikh, a Sith. My name was Jaswant Singh Chail, my name is Darth Jones,’ he says in the video. This is understood to be a reference to the enemies of the Jedi knights, who use the dark side of the force for evil.

Behind Chail in the footage is a framed picture of evil Sith Lord Darth Malgus.

Detectives investigating why Chail sought revenge over a century-old massacre of Indian Sikhs visited a number of gurdwaras, Sikh temples, across Hampshire to explore whether the teenager had links to organised religion. But he is not thought to have been a regular worshipper and was unknown at the temples in Southampton.

Friends said Chail, a former pupil at Toynbee School in Chandler’s Ford, is very close to his twin sister, who achieved top grades at school and is now studying international relations at university.

According to her social media profiles, she shares her brother’s interest in the Star Wars films. A friend said that they were ‘inseparable’ as young children.

A former school friend, who did not want to be named, said: ‘He seemed like a normal lad really. 

Armed police officers on guard at the Henry VIII Gate at Windsor Castle following the intruder getting in on Christmas Day

Armed police officers on guard at the Henry VIII Gate at Windsor Castle following the intruder getting in on Christmas Day

Armed officers were guarding entrances to Windsor Castle following the security scare on Christmas Day after 8am

Armed officers were guarding entrances to Windsor Castle following the security scare on Christmas Day after 8am

 ‘Nothing to distinguish him from anything else. There was one big incident with him getting in a fight with someone but that was back when he was 13.’

Chail’s parents married in Britain in 1993 and have lived in Lancashire and the Midlands before settling in the Hampshire village home they bought for £390,000 in 2015.

Neighbours described the family as ‘quiet but very pleasant’ and said they were shocked to see a huge police presence at the home on Christmas Day.

The breach was the fourth known security incident at Windsor this year, including an invasion from a woman, 44, who was allowed into Prince Andrew’s Royal Lodge after claiming she was his fiancee.

Former head of royal protection at Scotland Yard, Dai Davies, said he was concerned to hear that a crossbow had been involved in the invasion but the security teams did a good job in apprehending the intruder so quickly.

‘My view is that the police acted as soon as the alarm on the fence was triggered and apprehended him very quickly,’ he said.

‘This was the outer layer of the security onion, there are many more layers of security he would have faced and many more responses ready for him.

‘There are always lessons to be learnt and they will be conducting internal inquiries now to see how any response could have been improved.’

Scotland Yard said the man remains in the care of medical professionals as the full circumstances of the incident are investigated. ‘Security processes were triggered within moments of the man entering the grounds and he did not enter any buildings,’ it added.

Scares show we must beef up security, warn experts  

By David Barrett Home Affairs Correspondent

Security at Windsor must undergo a radical review after a series of troubling lapses, experts said last night.

They called on police to carry out a root and branch shake-up of security protocols at the historic castle and other royal residences in Windsor Great Park.

Sam Armstrong, of counter-terrorism think-tank the Henry Jackson Society, said: ‘It is clearly not geared up to be a primary royal residence. 

The Queen is spending more and more time there, which is entirely understandable at this time of transition for the Royal Family. But the police now need to step up and do their part.

Security at Windsor must undergo a radical review after a series of troubling lapses, experts said last night. Earlier this month a woman was given a talking to by police officers after banging on the window of Prince Andrew’s Range Rover as he drove from his home to go horse riding

Security at Windsor must undergo a radical review after a series of troubling lapses, experts said last night. Earlier this month a woman was given a talking to by police officers after banging on the window of Prince Andrew’s Range Rover as he drove from his home to go horse riding

‘Windsor presents a new set of challenges in terms of security because of the size of the estate and its semi-rural location on the edge of town.’

The arrest of suspected crossbow-wielding intruder Jaswant Singh Chail on Christmas Day was the fourth known security incident at Windsor this year.

In April a 44-year-old woman was allowed into Prince Andrew’s Royal Lodge residence, four miles away from the castle in Windsor Great Park, by claiming she was his fiancee.

The Spanish woman gave her name as ‘Irene Windsor’ and even got security guards to pay her taxi fare before spending 20 minutes wandering the grounds. She was later sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

And later that month, police arrested a 29-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man for trespassing in the grounds of the Royal Lodge.

Heightened security inside the grounds of Windsor Castle on Boxing Day after a intruder broke into the grounds on Christmas Day

Heightened security inside the grounds of Windsor Castle on Boxing Day after a intruder broke into the grounds on Christmas Day

Earlier this month a woman was given a talking to by police officers after banging on the window of Prince Andrew’s Range Rover as he drove from his home to go horse riding.

In the wake of the alleged crossbow incident, Ken Wharfe, the former bodyguard to Princess Diana, also called for a full security review at Windsor.

‘The Queen’s safety is clearly under threat. It’s often been thought that Windsor is particularly at risk to intruders due to the make-up of the estate and the severity of this event should really cause alarm bells to start ringing,’ he told the Daily Mirror.

‘This individual was caught in time but any system could always be beefed up as any other scenario could be tragic,’ he added.

Retired chief superintendent Dai Davies, the former head of the royal protection unit, said: ‘Windsor is having an issue with intruders and need to get to the bottom of it before something more sinister comes to pass.’

‘I would predict a major review will be needed after this latest incident, which is incredibly worrying, especially as this individual was armed.

‘The next time could always be far worse and that is a huge worry.’

‘Comedy terrorist’ who gatecrashed Prince William’s 21st birthday party 

This is not the first suspected security breach to have taken place in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

In June 2003, self-styled ‘comedy terrorist’ Aaron Barschak came to national fame by gatecrashing Prince William’s 21st birthday party at Windsor.

During the affair, Barschak wore a pink dress, a false beard and a turban in a fashion similar to Osama bin Laden.

In June 2003, self-styled ‘comedy terrorist’ Aaron Barschak came to national fame by gatecrashing William’s 21st birthday party at Windsor. During the affair, Barschak wore a pink dress, a false beard and a turban in a fashion similar to Osama bin Laden

In June 2003, self-styled ‘comedy terrorist’ Aaron Barschak came to national fame by gatecrashing William’s 21st birthday party at Windsor. During the affair, Barschak wore a pink dress, a false beard and a turban in a fashion similar to Osama bin Laden

After flashing his merkin at the crowds outside, he scaled the walls of the castle and entered the young prince’s party.

CPS lawyers decided there was ‘insufficient evidence’ to charge Barschak for one or more of four offences – burglary, threatening behaviour, criminal trespass and assault.

After learning he would face no action, the ‘comedy terrorist’ claimed his stunt had brought him celebrity status.

In an interview with LBC News, he said: ‘I don’t speak to any of my friends anymore. I’m far too famous for them. I get people in the street coming up to me and it’s a terrible strain.’

After learning he would face no action, the ‘comedy terrorist’ claimed his stunt had brought him celebrity status

After learning he would face no action, the ‘comedy terrorist’ claimed his stunt had brought him celebrity status

Barschak claimed that he was challenged and escorted to a police point after breaking into the grounds, but was allowed into the party area after giving what the Met Police described as a ‘credible story’.

At least nine police officers were under disciplinary investigation over the incident. 

Chief Inspector Mark Goddard, a senior officer who was in charge of security at Windsor, was moved from his position.


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