Canada arrests fourth suspect for alleged role in Khalistan separatist Hardeep Nijjar's killing

Canadian authorities arrested a fourth Indian national for his role in the killing of separatist Khalistan Hardeep Singh Nijjar. 

Twenty-two-year-old Amardeep Singh, a resident of Brampton, Surrey, and Abbotsford areas of Canada, has been charged with first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. 

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said that Amardeep Singh was arrested on May 11 for his role in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He was already in the custody of the Peel Regional Police for unrelated firearms charges out, PTI reported quoting an official release. 

"This arrest shows the nature of our ongoing investigation to hold responsible those that played a role in the homicide of Hardeep Singh Nijjar," said Superintendent Mandeep Mooker, the Officer in Charge of IHIT. 

Hardeep Nijjar, 45, was killed outside Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023. 

IHIT investigators on May 3 arrested three Indian nationals -- Karan Brar (22), Kamalpreet Singh (22) and 28-year-old Karanpreet Singh -- for the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. 

Commenting on the three arrests India had said there are "political interests at work" in the matter and reiterated its position that separatists and extremists have been given political space in the country. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has been informed about the arrests by Canada, but not at a diplomatic level. 

Nijjar, labelled as a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot as he exited a Gurdwara in Surrey. Canadian police released photographs of the three accused and a car believed to have been used in the murder as part of their ongoing investigation.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had caused sensation in September by claiming that Nijjar was killed in Surrey, British Columbia, by Indian agents. Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had hinted at the possibility of involvement of gangs in the killing of Nijjar.