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A fourth person has been charged in the homicide of 45-year-old Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar at a temple in Surrey last year.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said 22-year-old Amandeep Singh was arrested Saturday. He has been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He was already in custody for unrelated firearms charges.
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On May 3, IHIT investigators, with assistance of the B.C. and Alberta RCMP, and the Edmonton Police Service, arrested 22-year-old Karan Brar, 22-year-old Kamalpreet Singh, and 28-year-old Karanpreet Singh. All three were charged with first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
The initial three accused appeared in court on Tuesday. About 100 people demonstrated outside, waving flags and holding signs in support of carving an independent Sikh state, known as Khalistan, from India. Some carried signs featuring the faces of the three suspects and the words “Indian agents arrested.”
![(COMBO) This combination of handout pictures courtesy of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team created on May 3, 2024 shows the booking pictures of (from L) Karanpreet Singh, Kamalpreet Singh and Karan Brar, charged in relation to the homicide of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canadian police on May 3, 2024 arrested three men over the killing last year in Vancouver of a Sikh separatist, whose death has been linked to the Indian government. The murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar plunged Canada and India into a serious diplomatic crisis last fall after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested Indian government involvement in the homicide.](https://i0.wp.com/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/vancouversun/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2150794097.jpg?resize=700%2C420&ssl=1)
![surrey court](https://i0.wp.com/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/vancouversun/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/png0507nnijjartrial-16-2.jpg?resize=1000%2C750&ssl=1)
On Saturday, IHIT released a photo of Amandeep Singh in an effort to further advance the investigation. Photos of the other three accused were released on May 3.
Anyone who may have information on these individuals or this vehicle is asked to contact IHIT at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
Nijjar, who was a leading proponent of Khalistan, was gunned down as he left Surrey’s Guru Nanak Gurdwara after evening prayer on June 18. Members of the Sikhs for Justice immediately blamed the Indian government because Nijjar played a key role in the Sikh separatist movement.
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India said Thursday that Canada has informed it about the arrest of three Indian men who have been charged with the murder of a Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey last year, but said that no relevant information or specific evidence about Delhi’s involvement has been provided by Canadian authorities.
India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesman, Randhir Jaiswal, told reporters that the two countries were discussing the issue.
He accused Canada of providing shelter to those who are advocating violence against India. He said that Delhi had complained to the Canadian authorities that the people associated with organized crime in India had been allowed entry and residency in Canada.
ticrawford@postmedia.com
With files from The Associated Press and Susan Lazaruk
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