Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar Charged by US in Nijjar Killing, 24 Arrested Across Countries

In a major development in the Hardeep Singh Nijjar assassination case , US federal authorities have charged jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his close aide Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar with allegedly ordering the killing of the Khalistani separatist leader in Canada, as part of a sweeping international crackdown on transnational organised crime.

According to a federal indictment unsealed in Los Angeles, Bishnoi ordered the assassination of Nijjar, identified in court documents as "H.S.N." , who was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia , on June 18, 2023 . Bishnoi is currently lodged in an Indian prison, while Goldy Brar remains absconding.

The charges were announced alongside 'Operation Hardball' , a coordinated law enforcement operation involving agencies from the United States, Canada and Europe . The crackdown led to the arrest of 24 people , including 11 in California , allegedly linked to three India-based transnational organised crime groups accused of offences ranging from targeted killings and extortion to drug trafficking, racketeering and other violent crimes.

In all, 37 individuals have been charged across three federal indictments . Authorities said 13 suspects were arrested in the US, three in Canada, one in Spain, while seven were already in custody. Investigators are also searching for 10 fugitives located in the US, India and Europe.

The Nijjar killing had triggered a major diplomatic row between India and Canada . Hardeep Singh Nijjar , chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force , was designated a terrorist by India and was wanted in connection with several terror-related cases. In September 2023 , then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament that Canadian agencies were investigating credible allegations linking Indian government agents to the assassination. India strongly rejected the allegations , calling them "absurd and motivated," and the dispute led to one of the worst diplomatic crises between the two countries, with both sides expelling diplomats and reducing diplomatic engagement.

Announcing the charges, First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said authorities across multiple continents were united in dismantling violent criminal networks. "There is no safe harbour for these thugs," he said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) described the operation as a major blow to criminal syndicates accused of terrorising communities through murder, intimidation and extortion . Patrick Grandy , Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, said the coordinated action targeted organisations responsible for violence in both North America and beyond.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme said the operation had disrupted organised crime groups that relied on murder, fear and brutality to control and extort people in Canada and the United States . He added that authorities would continue working together to dismantle such international criminal networks.

The latest US indictments focus on the alleged role of organised crime syndicates in Nijjar's killing and form part of a broader investigation into transnational networks operating across several countries. The case is expected to remain under close international scrutiny because of its criminal as well as diplomatic implications.