US authorities have announced charges against the leader of an Indian criminal group in connection with the political assassination of prominent Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, a killing that plunged relations between Ottawa and New Delhi into crisis.

The charges were part of a massive law enforcement operation involving agencies across the US, Canada, and Europe that swept up 37 defendants allegedly linked to three Indian international crime syndicates involved in kidnappings, racketeering, extortion, firearms dealing, drug trafficking, and murder, US Attorney Bill Essayli announced at a news conference on Tuesday.

Essayli spoke alongside officials from the Los Angeles Police Department, the FBI, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Authorities are still searching for seven fugitives in the US, two in India, and one in Europe.

Lawrence Bishnoi, 33, and his childhood friend Satinderjeet Singh are accused of orchestrating the assassination of Nijjar, who was fatally shot outside a temple in 2023. Bishnoi is in custody, but Singh remains at large. Prosecutors allege Bishnoi's organization routinely targeted prominent religious, social, and political leaders with violence in exchange for large sums of money.

Nijjar, a prominent member of the Khalistan movement for an independent Sikh homeland, was born in India and held Canadian citizenship. He was wanted by Indian authorities at the time of his death. The killing sparked a diplomatic dispute, with both India and Canada expelling each other's diplomats.

The indictments claim some defendants leveraged relationships with corrupt local authorities in India to persecute rivals or those cooperating with law enforcement. At least one defendant is accused of organizing criminal activities while detained at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.

Source: www.aljazeera.com