US prosecutors charge Indian crime boss with murder of Sikh activist in Canada

US prosecutors have charged an Indian gangster and some of his associates of orchestrating the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

The charges against Lawrence Bishnoi come as part of a sweeping series of arrests - in the US, Canada and Europe - of people with alleged links to three India-based organised crime groups, including the Bishnoi gang.

Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles said the arrests were the result of a years-long investigation into Indian crime syndicates that were engaged in targeted killings, extortion and drug trafficking around the world.

In total, 37 defendants have been charged across three indictments unsealed on Tuesday.

"Transnational criminal gangs who spread fear, drugs, and violence will face the full force of justice and the weight of the federal government," said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli in a statement.

"There is no safe harbor for these thugs."

Nijjar, 45, was shot dead three years ago in his vehicle by two masked gunmen in the busy car park of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, a city about 30km (18 miles) east of Vancouver.

He was a prominent Sikh separatist leader and publicly campaigned for Khalistan - the creation of an independent Sikh homeland in the Punjab region of India.

Federal prosecutors have charged Lawrence Bishnoi, 33, and Satinderjeet "Goldy Brar" Singh, 32, both of Punjab, India, with ordering the assassination of Nijjar, referred to as "HSN" by prosecutors.

Brar remains at large. Bishnoi has been in prison in India since 2015.

Last year, Canada listed the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity, allowing the federal government to seize property and freeze money owned by the group in the country.

In 2024, four Indian nationals were arrested and charged over the killing, which sparked a major diplomatic row between Canada and India. They await trial.

On Tuesday, prosecutors also alleged that Bishnoi gang members targeted prominent religious and political leaders with violence, and then sought to extort members of the community.

The allege that Bishnoi, Brar, and other defendants attempted to extort money from victims in California, demanding in December and January that one victim make a $5m (£3.75m) payment.

Also on Tuesday, law enforcement officials said they had seized as part of the probe approximately 1,000 kg (2200 lbs) of cocaine and 1kg of heroin, along with $40,000 in cash and a dozen firearms.

The FBI, Los Angeles police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and US Customs and Border officials participated in the investigation.