2 teens charged in shooting at home of Sikh independence advocate
The Canadian Press | Posted: February 20, 2024 9:29 PM | Last Updated: February 20
RCMP say no links to foreign interference, after Sikhs For Justice believed government India was involved
RCMP say two teenagers have been charged over a shooting at a home in Surrey, B.C., and investigators have found no links to foreign interference.
A group advocating for Sikh independence had said the target of the Feb. 1 shooting was a member of their movement, and the group believed the government of India was involved.
But a statement from Surrey RCMP said investigators "have not established any links to foreign interference" in the shots that were fired at a home on 154th Street.
It said two 16-year-olds were arrested on Feb. 12 and are being held in custody as they await their next court appearance.
RCMP said the B.C. Prosecution Service approved charges of discharging a firearm into a place and possessing a loaded prohibited firearm.
The statement issued Tuesday said officers executed a search warrant in Surrey on Feb. 6 and seized three firearms and multiple electronic devices.
WATCH: Police investigate shooting at Surrey home:
Surrey RCMP said no one was injured in the shooting.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun with the group Sikhs For Justice had previously said the homeowner, Simranjeet Singh, was a member of the movement and an associate of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Nijjar was a loud voice for the Khalistani cause, a separatist movement that seeks to create a Sikh majority state in parts of northern India.
He was killed last year in a shooting in Surrey that the federal government believes was carried out by agents of the Indian government. India has denied any role in Nijjar's death.