An Indian citizen arrested in Ontario was allegedly one of the two gunmen who shot B.C. Sikh temple leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Global News has learned.
Amandeep Singh, 22, was arrested on Saturday for his alleged role in Nijjar’s killing, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has linked to the Indian government.
The resident of Brampton, Ont., was charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He has been in custody since November on unrelated charges.
According to a source familiar with the case, Singh is believed to be one of the armed men who opened fire on Nijjar as he was leaving the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Surrey, B.C. on June 18, 2023.
The shooters were then seen running to a getaway car.
Singh is the fourth suspect arrested so far for killing Nijjar, a prominent leader of the Khalistan movement, which seeks independence for India’s Sikh-majority Punjab state.
A plumber, temple leader and Canadian citizen, Nijjar had long been accused by New Delhi of leading a terrorist group behind attacks in India — although no credible evidence was ever produced.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar (front in yellow turban) at pro-Khalistan rally.
The latest charges followed the May 3 arrests in Edmonton of Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22 and Karanpreet Singh, 28. All are Indian nationals. They appeared in Surrey court last week.
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Like his co-accused, Amandeep Singh arrived in Canada on a temporary visa, but was allegedly involved in violent crime, the source said. The RCMP said he had lived in Brampton, Surrey and Abbotsford, B.C.
The four hitmen are suspected of links to India’s violent Bishnoi crime group.
Kamalpreet Singh (left), Karanpreet Singh (centre), and Karan Brar (right) have been charged with murder and conspiracy to murder in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
RJB
On Nov. 3, 2023, Singh was one of five men charged with firearms and drug offences following a traffic stop in Brampton by the Peel police Specialized Enforcement Bureau.
During the arrests, police seized an FN 509 9mm pistol with a 24-round extended magazine, and two extended magazines with 24-round capacities containing 9mm ammunition, police said at the time.
Singh was charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm, knowledge of unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm and possession of a prohibited device.
He was also charged with possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm, failure to comply with a release order and possession of a controlled substance, among other offences.
Arrested along with Singh at the time were Ramanpreet Singh, 30, Maninder Singh, 21, Swaranpreet Singh, 20, and Jobanpreet Singh, 20. All were described by police as Brampton residents.
Those close to Nijjar immediately blamed the Indian government for his killing, which they portrayed as an act of transnational repression.
Three months after the murder, Trudeau went public with allegations that investigators had found credible evidence that Indian government agents may have been involved.
India has denied the accusation, despite a similar plot uncovered by the FBI, in which an Indian intelligence agent allegedly hired a drug trafficker to kill one of Nijjar’s associates, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Both men were prominent figures in the Khalistan movement, which India views as a national security threat, although there is little to indicate they were more than political activists.
The RCMP told reporters at a news conference on Friday that investigations were still underway and police were examining the suspected involvement of the Indian government.
The arrests have raised questions about what the men were doing in Canada, amid criticism of Liberal government policies that have fueled a sharp spike in temporary residents.
Brar had allegedly come to Canada on a student visa that he said in a video he had obtained quickly with the help of an immigration consulting firm with offices in India and Saskatchewan.
Canada’s national security agencies have been investigating an emerging trend in which foreign intelligence services are suspected of contracting out killings to crime groups.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service last week named India as one of the “major perpetrators” of foreign interference and espionage in Canada, along with China, Russia and Iran.
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
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