What we know about the arrests and investigation into Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing
Four men in their 20s facing murder, conspiracy charges
Four men are facing charges in connection with the killing of a Sikh separatist activist in B.C., a crime that fractured the diplomatic relationship between India and Canada when accusations arose that one country had orchestrated the high-profile murder of the other's citizen on home soil.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, was shot dead in what appeared to be a highly co-ordinated attack as he left the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., on June 18, 2023. A Canadian citizen, Nijjar was a prominent local leader in the Khalistan movement pushing for the creation of an independent Sikh state in India.
Four alleged hitmen in their 20s, all Indian nationals who arrived in Canada several years ago, have been accused of carrying out the killing.
Here's what we know about the accused and the case.
The men accused
The RCMP identified the following men by their legal names, acknowledging they may also use shorter names or aliases:
- Karan Brar, now 24.
- Kamalpreet Singh, now 23.
- Karanpreet Singh, now 29.
- Amandeep Singh, now 22.
The first three men are Indian nationals who had been living in Edmonton. The fourth lived in Brampton, Ont., as well as Surrey and Abbotsford, B.C. They all arrived in Canada on temporary visas, sources said, including some on student visas.
Sources told CBC News investigators identified the first three men in Canada "some months" before their arrests and had been keeping them under tight surveillance. RCMP said they arrived in the country separately between three and five years ago, but would not comment further on the suspects' immigration statuses during a news conference in May 2024.
Amandeep Singh, the fourth man, was already caught up in the Canadian justice system at the time of Nijjar's death, having been arrested in Surrey, B.C., in March 2023 — three months before the killing — for allegedly fleeing police.
He also faces a firearms and drug charges in Ontario.
What roles do police believe the men played?
Sources said members of the hit squad are alleged to have played different roles as shooters, drivers and spotters the day Nijjar was killed.
The men each face charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Police believe the first three men plotted with others on plans to kill Nijjar in Surrey and Edmonton between May 1, 2023, and June 18, 2023, according to court documents.
Asked during a news conference in May 2024 whether the public should consider the men to have been "guns for hire," police said more information would come out in court.
"The evidence will show the roles these individuals played," said Supt. Mandeep Mooker, the officer in charge of the RCMP's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.
What about other suspects?
Police also said officers are "aware" others might have played a role in the killing. RCMP Assistant Commissioner David Teboul said the incident was still "very much under active investigation."
The RCMP were also asked whether there are any Indian "sleeper agents" in Canada, a term that refers to an operative strategically placed in another country to work as needed after potentially being inactive, or "asleep," for months or years.
Teboul said it was a "great question," but that he could not say more because the issue is "very much at the centre of evidence and ongoing investigations."
How did the case affect the relationship between Canada and India?
Canada-India relations have been on shaky ground since former prime minister Justin Trudeau said there is credible information pointing to the Indian government's involvement in the assassination plot, remarks that essentially accused India of having a hand in plans to kill a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil.
Trudeau's accusation shattered the diplomatic relationship between the two countries when it was raised in the House of Commons in September 2023.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has denied ordering extrajudicial killings in Canada. Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar initially decried the Canadian allegation as "absurd" and accused Canada of harbouring violent extremists.
Prime Minister Mark Carney invited Modi to the G7 meeting in Alberta in June, saying it made sense to have the leader of the world's most populous country around the table discussing "big challenges."
Carney confirmed he had spoken to Modi about Nijjar's death and the ongoing prosecution.
3 more killed on Canadian soil
Sources close to the investigation also told CBC News that police are actively investigating possible links to three additional murders in Canada. Two men with links to organized crime in India were killed after Trudeau's comments about India in the House in 2023, as was a young boy:
- Sukhdool Singh Gill, 39, was found shot dead in Winnipeg on Sept. 20, 2023.
- Harpreet Uppal, 41, was shot dead in his vehicle in Edmonton on Nov. 9, 2023.
- Gavin Uppal, 11, was killed alongside his father.
No one has been charged in their deaths to date.
RCMP said they would not comment in May 2024 on the separate investigations in Winnipeg and Edmonton, but repeatedly noted officers in B.C. were "co-ordinating with a variety of agencies" in three to four provinces.
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With files from CBC's Evan Dyer, J.P. Tasker and Jason Proctor