RCMP arrests alleged hitmen accused of killing B.C. Sikh leader
Hardeep Singh Nijjar have been arrested, the RCMP confirmed Friday.The RCMP took three Indian nationals into custody on Friday morning, almost a year after Nijjar was gunned down at the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Surrey, B.C.The suspects entered Canada on student visas but may have been working at the direction of Indian intelligence when they shot Nijjar, a source familiar with the matter said.Karanpreet Singh, 28, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, and Karan Brar, 22, have been charged with murder and conspiracy in Nijjar’s killing, according to B.C. court records.The offences were allegedly committed in Surrey and Edmonton, where the men were living and were arrested.
Police believe others may have been involved.RCMP Assistant Commissioner David Teboul told reporters the incident was still “very much under active investigation.”“There are separate and distinct investigations ongoing into these matters, certainly not limited to the involvement of the people arrested today. And these efforts include investigating connections to the government of India,” he said.The commander of federal policing at RCMP E Division in B.C., Teboul said the RCMP had been “coordinating and collaborating” on the case with its partner agencies in India.But he described that relationship as “rather challenging and difficult for the last several years.”The World Sikh Organization welcomed the arrests, which it said raised “disturbing questions about the nexus between the government of India and criminal gangs.”The allegations point to a possible Indian government strategy to assassinate leaders of the Khalistan movement, which supports independence for India’s Sikh-majority Punjab state.Last September, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pointed the finger at the
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