Charges filed against Indian crime boss in assassination that strained Canada-India ties

Charges filed against Indian crime boss in assassination that strained Canada-India ties 0 seconds of 1 minute, 10 secondsVolume 0% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Shortcuts Open/Close/ or ? Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 Next Up International barrel organ festival brings music and nostalgia to Berlin 01:06 Subtitle Settings OffEnglish(US)_v Font Color White Font Opacity 100% Font Size 100% Font Family Arial Character Edge None Edge Color Black Background Color Black Background Opacity 50% Window Color Black Window Opacity 0% Reset WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25% 200%175%150%125%100%75%50% ArialCourierGeorgiaImpactLucida ConsoleTahomaTimes New RomanTrebuchet MSVerdana NoneRaisedDepressedUniformDrop Shadow WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25%0% WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25%0% 00:00 01:10 01:10 More Videos 01:06 International barrel organ festival brings music and nostalgia to Berlin 01:58 Trump seeks to enforce spending promises at NATO summit 02:48 Robotic elephants draw crowds and controversy in some of India's Hindu temples 01:08 Indonesian president meets India's Modi in Jakarta for talks on expanding economic and defense ties 00:45 Paraguay senator on racist remarks targeting France captain Kylian Mbappé 01:01 Mamdani says Platner should drop out of Maine's Senate race after sexual assault allegation 01:00 Bernie Sanders joins Democrats’ calls for Graham Platner to drop out of Maine Senate race 00:40 Indian Prime Minister welcomes Japanese Prime Minister to New Delhi Close 1 of 4 | Law enforcement officials at federal, local, and international agencies charged 37 alleged members of India-based transnational organized crime groups with multiple criminal acts, including the assassination in Canada of a prominent Indian activist. 2 of 4 | A cameraman records seized evidence at a news conference at the Federal Building in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) 3 of 4 | An FBI Wanted poster for Satinderjeet Singh is displayed at a news conference at the Federal Building in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) 4 of 4 | Seized evidence including firearms and drugs, is displayed at a news conference at the Federal Building in Los Angeles, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) By SAFIYAH RIDDLE Updated 1:46 AM MESZ, July 8, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Authorities announced charges against the leader of an Indian criminal group on Tuesday in connection with the political assassination of a prominent Sikh leader in Canada — a high-profile killing that strained the diplomatic relationship between Canada and India at the time. The charges were part of a massive law enforcement operation involving agencies across the United States, Canada and Europe that swept up 37 defendants who are allegedly a part of three Indian international crime syndicates tied to kidnappings, racketeering, extortion, firearms dealing, drug trafficking and murder, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced at a news conference on Tuesday. He spoke alongside officials with the Los Angeles Police Department, the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Authorities are still searching for seven fugitives in the U.S., two in India and one in Europe. The groups have “have fueled violence, fear and instability within the East Indian communities throughout California and abroad,” said Patrick Grandy, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office. Lawrence Bishnoi, 33, and his childhood friend Satinderjeet Singh are accused of orchestrating the assassination of a well-known Sikh independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was fatally shot outside of a temple where he served as president in 2023. The killing sparked tensions between the Canadian and Indian governments, after then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that there were “credible allegations” that the Indian government was involved in Nijar’s death. Bishnoi is in custody, but Singh has not been apprehended. An Idaho mother who said her toddler twins died after vaccinations has been charged with murder 2 MIN READ 154 Former college basketball player Kerr Kriisa accused of fraud in $2.2M scheme 1 MIN READ Another Philippine senator arrested for alleged large-scale corruption 2 MIN READ Bishnoi’s organization “routinely targeted prominent religious, social and political leaders with violence” in exchange for large amounts of money. Nijjar, 45 when he died, was a prominent member of a movement to create an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, and he was organizing an unofficial referendum among the Sikh diaspora with the organization Sikhs For Justice. Nijjar, who was born in India and was a Canadian citizen, was wanted by Indian authorities at the time of his death. The authorities had 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 population of Sikhs outside India, and India has repeatedly accused it of tolerating “terrorists and extremists.” Both India and Canada expelled diplomats from the other country amid the international dispute. Authorities also named two other criminal organizations that were swept up for similar charges over the course of the two-year investigation. The transnational organizations have members in countries ranging from 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 illicit merchandise across the country and into Canada. The indictments say that some defendants leveraged relationships with corrupt local authorities in India to persecute rivals or those who were believed to be cooperating with law enforcement. At least one defendant is accused of organizing criminal activities while detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, authorities said Tuesday, though it is not clear how he was able to communicate without being detected. An attorney for Bishnoi was not listed on Tuesday afternoon. Authorities on Tuesday touted the operation as an example of international cooperation. “Working together, law enforcement in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia are determined to target and dismantle these criminal organizations wherever they operate,” Essayli said. SAFIYAH RIDDLE Riddle is a national law enforcement reporter based in Los Angeles, California. mailto