Canada arrests alleged hit squad linked to Sikh activist's assassination plot: Report

Alleged suspects 'have played different roles as shooters, drivers and spotters on the day Nijjar was killed'

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - Canadian police on Friday arrested suspects believed to be part of an alleged hit squad tasked to assassinate a Sikh-Canadian leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia in June.

CBC News reported that the alleged suspects "have played different roles as shooters, drivers and spotters on the day Nijjar was killed at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey."

The report cited sources close to the investigation, saying that police are actively investigating potential links to three other murders in Canada, including the tragic shooting of an 11-year-old boy in Edmonton, Alberta.

While arrest were made in multiple provinces across Canada on Friday, the report said the alleged suspects had been under close surveillance for several months after being identified by investigators.

"Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh, and Karan Brar are facing first-degree murder and conspiracy charges in relation to the Nijjar case, as per documents filed in a Surrey court on Friday," report said.

Tensions rose between the Canada and India after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged publicly last week that India was involved in the assassination of a Sikh-Canadian leader outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia in June.

India insisted that Nijjar was a terrorist who was part of a militant movement to carve out an independent Sikh state in Khalistan in India’s Punjab region. Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” that New Delhi was implicated in the murder, which was committed by two masked gunmen.

After Trudeau’s accusation, which also called for India to cooperate in an investigation into Nijjar’s killing, Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat.

The Indian government reacted strongly, calling the allegations “absurd,” and in a tit-for-tat move expelled a Canadian representative.

In addition, New Delhi froze visa services for Canadians. India said that Indian students in Canada should “exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant.”

Kaynak:

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