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       Police Arrest 3 in Slaying of Sikh Leader That Shocked Canada

       The killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh nationalist who had sought a separate state in India and was viewed as a terrorist by New Delhi, set off diplomatic tensions between Canada and India.

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       Protesters outside the Indian Consulate in Vancouver in September. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh nationalist and Canadian citizen, was killed in June in British Columbia.Credit...Jennifer Gauthier/Reuters

       By Vjosa Isai

       Reporting from Victoria, British Columbia

       May 3, 2024

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       Three Indian men were charged in the brazen slaying of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil, the police said on Friday, a killing that set off a diplomatic clash with New Delhi after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed “agents of the government of India” for orchestrating the shooting.

       India’s government called the claim “absurd” and took steps that led Canada to withdraw more than 40 of its diplomats from the country. But amid the denials, Canada said it had a “smoking gun,” supported by information from the United States. And a federal indictment in New York linked the Indian government to another murder-for-hire-plot against another Sikh separatist.

       The three men were arrested in Edmonton, Alberta, and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the killing of the Sikh nationalist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in June, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said. The suspects — Karan Brar, 22; Kamalpreet Singh, 22; and Karanpreet Singh, 28 — had been living in Canada for three to five years but were not permanent residents of Canada, the police said.

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       “This investigation does not end here,” Superintendent Mandeep Mooker, head of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team for the Mounties, said at a news conference on Friday. “We are aware that others may have played a role in this homicide, and we remain dedicated to finding and arresting each one of these individuals.”

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       Superintendent Mandeep Mooker of the Mounties, speaking at a news conference on Friday, said the investigation was ongoing.Credit...Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press

       Several other investigations are ongoing, including into any possible involvement by the Indian government in Mr. Nijjar’s killing, Assistant Commissioner David Teboul said at the news conference. He also said, without providing further details, that the relationship with India in investigating the killing had been challenging.

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       A correction was made on May 3, 2024

       : Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misidentified a country accused of interfering in Canadian elections. It was China.

       When we learn of a mistake, we acknowledge it with a correction. If you spot an error, please let us know at nytnews@nytimes.com.Learn more

       Vjosa Isai is a reporter and researcher for The Times based in Toronto, where she covers news from across Canada. More about Vjosa Isai

       A version of this article appears in print on May 4, 2024, Section A, Page 9 of the New York edition with the headline: Canadian Police Arrest 3 In Slaying of Sikh Leader. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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