U.S. to seek extradition of Lawrence Bishnoi over Nijjar assassination plot

The U.S. has also charged Bishnoi’s aide Goldy Brar with ordering Nijjar’s assassination; the FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to Brar’s arrest

Updated - July 13, 2026 08:53 am IST - Washington

PTI

File photo of Lawrence Bishnoi. | Photo Credit: The Hindu

The United States will seek the extradition of Lawrence Bishnoi, who is accused of ordering the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and several other crimes in America, an official said Sunday (July 13, 2026).

The U.S. Department of Justice will also seek the extradition of Gurinderjit Singh Nagra for his involvement in a $400,000 extortion case in the U.S., alleging that he worked in concert with the Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gangs to target families based in the United States.

Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was killed in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, on June 18, 2023.

An official in the U.S. Attorney’s Office replied in the affirmative in response to questions on the extradition of Bishnoi and Nagra but did not elaborate.

“Yes. Beyond that, we have no additional comment,” Ciaran McEvoy, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, said in an e-mail response to PTI.

In a joint operation earlier this week, law enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada, and Europe arrested 24 persons – 11 of them in California – connected with three India-based transnational organised crime groups charged with a litany of criminal acts.

In total, the U.S. Department of Justice charged 37 people in the indictment as part of its ‘Operation Hardball’.

The U.S. has also charged Bishnoi’s aide Goldy Brar with ordering Nijjar’s assassination. The FBI has announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to Brar’s arrest.

Published - July 13, 2026 08:52 am IST