Canadian police charge 4th man in murder of Sikh activist

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) - Canadian police charged a fourth suspect Saturday with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a Canadian-Sikh activist in 2023, according to media reports.

Amandeep Singh was also charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Three others were arrested in Edmonton, Alberta earlier this month and face similar charges.

Singh, 22, was already in custody on an unrelated firearms charge, CTV News reported.

“This arrest shows the nature of our ongoing investigation to hold responsible those that played a role in the homicide of Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Supt. Mandeep Mooker, the officer in charge of the Integrated Homicide Investigative Team, said in a statement Saturday.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was gunned down in the parking lot of a Sikh Temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. He was a staunch advocate of Sikh independence.

The murder was looked upon by many in the Sikh community as involving the Indian government. Nijjar was an organizer of an unofficial referendum in the community on the formation of a Sikh independent state in Khalistan, CTV News reported.​​​​​​​

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in September that Canadian security authorities had determined there was “credible allegations” of India’s involvement in the murder.

India angrily denied the charge and said Canada had no evidence to prove it. The dispute has led to strained relations between the two countries.

In November, American authorities said a man was arrested who was plotting to assassinate a Sikh activist in New York. The suspect discussed the Nijjar murder with an undercover officer who he thought was a hitman hired to carry out the New York killing.

Authorities said the suspect was hired by an Indian government employee to arrange the killing of the New York activist.