Canadian police on Saturday arrested a fourth man accused of killing Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in a case that has soured diplomatic ties with India.
Earlier this month, Canadian police arrested and charged three Indian nationals in Edmonton, Alberta, and said they were investigating whether the men had ties to the Indian government.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said 22-year-old Amandeep Singh has been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy in Nijjar’s murder.
According to IHIT, Singh, an Indian citizen who lives in Brampton, Surrey and Abbotsford, has been arrested on unrelated firearms charges.
Nijjar, 45, was shot dead in June outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver with a large Sikh population. A few months ago, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was evidence of Indian government involvement that could lead to a diplomatic crisis with New Delhi.
Nijjar is a Canadian citizen who campaigned for an independent Sikh homeland, Khalistan, to be cut off from India. The presence of Sikh separatist groups in Canada has long worried New Delhi, which has called Nijri a “terrorist”.
