Arrests have been made in the murder of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Daily Hive has confirmed through court documents that three men have been charged with first-degree murder in connection to Nijjar’s death.
Karanpreet Singh, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karan Brar are also facing one count each of conspiracy to commit murder in connection to a May 1 offence in Edmonton and Surrey.
This comes nearly a year after the Surrey, BC Sikh temple leader was shot in a busy parking lot.
The 45-year-old was gunned down in a vehicle in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara just before 8:30 pm on June 19, 2023.
Last September, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused “agents of the Government of India” of being linked to the killing of Nijjar.
India responded, calling Trudeau’s claims “absurd and motivated,” in a statement.
In a press conference on Friday, Minister of Public Safety Dominic LeBlanc declined to comment on reporters’ questions about allegations that the murder was ordered at the highest level of the Indian government.
“That is a very good question to ask the RCMP,” he responded. “This is a matter of an ongoing active police investigation that likely, and very clearly, will end up before criminal courts.”
He was also asked if the incident showed a failure in the Canadian national security apparatus.
“I have full confidence in the security apparatus of the Government of Canada and the work of the RCMP,” he answered.
Nijjar was publicly connected to the campaign for Khalistan, an independence movement seeking a separatist Sikh nation in Punjab, India.
The movement has been condemned by the Government of India over its extremist ties. According to reports from India, Nijjar was wanted in the country and declared a terrorist.
The RCMP are expected to announce the arrests Friday afternoon in BC.
With files from Simran Singh, Nikitha Martins, and Claire Fenton