US charges Indian criminal gang leader with organising murder of Canadian Sikh activist

Lawrence Bishnoi, who is in prison in India, is accused of orchestrating the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023

US authorities have announced charges against the leader of an Indian criminal group in connection with the political assassination of a prominent Sikh activist in Canada - a high-profile killing that strained diplomatic relations between Canada and India at the time.

Lawrence Bishnoi - the imprisoned head of an Indian criminal gang - and his childhood friend Satinderjeet Singh, are accused of orchestrating the assassination of a well-known Sikh independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was fatally shot outside a temple where he served as president in 2023. Bishnoi is in custody, but Singh has not been apprehended.