Canada police make arrests linked to murder of separatist leader

Canadian police on Friday made arrests linked to the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the province of British Columbia in June 2023, a source directly familiar with the matter said.

The source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the case, said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police would brief media later on Friday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in September that Canadian authorities were pursuing allegations linking Indian government agents to the fatal shooting of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen. New Delhi rejected Trudeau's claim as "absurd."

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation earlier said the RCMP had arrested members of an alleged hit squad. It cited a source saying investigators had identified the suspects in Canada some months ago and had been keeping them under tight surveillance.

Nijjar, 45, was shot dead outside a Sikh temple on June 18 in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb.

Canada had been pressing India to cooperate in its investigation. The US later revealed it had foiled an assassination attempt against a Sikh separatist on its soil.

The presence of Sikh separatist groups in Canada has long frustrated New Delhi. Nijjar was labelled a "terrorist" by India.

Neither the RCMP nor the Indian mission in Ottawa were immediately available for comment.

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