A Surrey man is accused of running a “terror camp” near Mission that’s plotting attacks in the Punjab, according to an India news report.
By CHERYL CHAN
An article published Monday in the Times of India cited a report by Punjab intelligence identifying Hardeep Nijjar as the “operational head of (the) Khalistan Terror Force (KTF).”
According to the report, Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, has lived in Surrey since 1995.
He is wanted in India in connection with a blast at a cinema in Ludhiana in the Punjab province, where six people died in 2007.
The report alleges Nijjar has been training at least four Sikh youths on how to use AK-47s for the purpose of carrying out attacks in India.
The training took place “in a (rifle) range near Mission where they were made to fire for four hours daily,” said the report.
One of the trainees, Mandeep Singh, was arrested two weeks ago, said the Times. Singh arrived in India in January from Canada and is accused of being involved in a terrorist plot.
The report claims Singh was on a reconnaissance mission and that Nijjar was to arrange weapons from Pakistan.
The Times said India intelligence agencies have alerted Canadian authorities to the alleged camp, and have already submitted an application seeking Nijjar’s extradition.
Global Affairs Canada wasn’t available for comment late Sunday.
This isn’t the first time India authorities have requested Canada track Nijjar. In 2015, India police requested RCMP track his whereabouts after he was suspected of a plot to transport ammunition by paraglider over the Pakistan-India border.
That plan was foiled after the arrest of Jagtar Tara, described as the former chief of the KTF.
