TORONTO — Canadian police made the first arrests Friday in the shooting death of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year outside a gurdwara in British Columbia, authorities said, and are continuing to investigate allegations that the Indian government directed the brazen killing.
The three members of the alleged hit squad were arrested in Edmonton, Alberta, on Friday morning and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said during an afternoon news conference. Each is an Indian citizen with non-permanent resident status who has been living in Canada from three to five years, police said. They were identified as Karan Brar, 22; Kamalpreet Singh, 22; and Karanpreet Singh, 28.
