US charges Indian criminal gang leader with organising murder of Canadian Sikh activist | Canada
U.S. authorities announced charges against the leader of an Indian crime group in connection with the political assassination of a prominent Sikh activist in Canada; this was a high-profile murder that strained diplomatic relations between Canada and India at the time.
Lawrence Bishnoi, the imprisoned head of an Indian criminal gang, and his childhood friend Satinderjeet Singh are accused of masterminding the assassination of prominent Sikh independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was fatally shot in 2023 outside a temple where he served as president. Bishnoi is in custody but Singh has not been arrested.
The indictment states that Bishnoi directed the operation from a prison cell in India using smuggled cell phones and provided a photo and multiple addresses of Nijjar to a co-conspirator to facilitate the murder.
The charges are part of a major law enforcement operation involving agencies in the United States, Canada and Europe, screening 37 defendants allegedly part of three Indian transnational criminal organizations linked to kidnapping, extortion, firearms trafficking, drug trafficking and murder, US attorney Bill Essayli announced at a press conference on Tuesday.
He spoke along with officials from the Los Angeles Police Department, the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Authorities are currently searching for seven fugitives in the United States, two in India and one in Europe.
Patrick Grandy, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said the groups “incite violence, fear and instability within East Indian communities throughout California and abroad.”
Nijjar’s killing sparked tensions between the Canadian and Indian governments after then-Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” that the Indian government was involved in Nijar’s death.
At the time of his death, Nijjar, 45, was a leading member of the movement to create an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan and was organizing an unofficial referendum between his Justice for Sikhs organization and the Sikh diaspora. Nijjar, who was born in India and was a Canadian citizen, was wanted by Indian authorities at the time of his death. Authorities offered a reward for information leading to his arrest.
Sikh diaspora activism has been a source of tension between India and Canada for years. Canada has the largest Sikh population outside India, and India has repeatedly accused Canada of tolerating “terrorists and extremists”. Due to the international dispute, both India and Canada expelled diplomats from the other country.
Authorities also released the names of two more criminal organizations arrested on similar charges during the two-year investigation. Transnational organizations have members from countries such as the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Members of the group are also accused of stealing large quantities of drugs from other criminal organizations operating in California and then selling the illegal products across the country and into Canada.
The indictments say some of the defendants used relationships with corrupt local officials in India to persecute rivals or individuals believed to be cooperating with law enforcement. At least one defendant is accused of orchestrating criminal activity while in custody at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, but it was unclear how the defendant was able to communicate without being detected, authorities said Tuesday.
Bishnoi’s attorney was not listed as of Tuesday afternoon.
