Two Plead Guilty in Murder of Acquitted Sikh Air India Bombing Suspect

Facts

• Tanner Fox and Jose Lopez pleaded guilty in the British Columbia Supreme Court on Monday to the second-degree murder of Sikh businessman Ripudaman Singh Malik in 2022. Malik was one of two men charged but acquitted in the 1985 Air India bombing.^[1][2]
• According to the guilty plea, Fox and Lopez fired seven shots at Malik while he was sitting in his red Tesla, with police later discovering two handguns, a mask, gloves, and C$16,485 (about US$12K) in cash.^[3]
• The pair also say they were hired to murder Malik, though they won't say who contracted them. Lopez's lawyer said he hopes his client will receive rehabilitation given Lopez's young age.^[3][4]
• In a statement directed at Fox and Lopez, the Malik family said they've 'taken a good first step in taking responsibility ' but should now 'cooperate with the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] in bringing those that hired you to justice.'^[2]
• Following the Air India bombing, which killed 329 people off the coast of Ireland, Malik and his then-codefendant Ajaib Singh Bagri were seen as the two primary suspects. They were acquitted after two witnesses were deemed unreliable.^[3]
• This comes amid the recent resurfacing of a 2003 CBC article claiming Canadian intelligence had a 'mole' in the bombing plot that it 'pulled out' days before to avoid implication.^[5][6]

Sources: ^[1]Al Jazeera, ^[2]CBC, ^[3]Guardian, ^[4]BBC News, ^[5]The Times of India and ^[6]Verity.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by DAWN.COM. As more and more stories emerge involving the murders of Sikhs in Canada, it's time for the Indian government to take responsibility for its role, no matter how small. At least one Indian intelligence official is known to have been involved in the recent failed assassination attempt, prompting even the US government to push New Delhi into making a statement.
• Narrative B, as provided by Realstory. This 'all eyes on India' approach shows how weak journalism is today. Any investigator worth their salt would know that Sikh separatists have strong ties to Canada's underground organized crime world. Many of these murders are likely not even politically motivated but rather the consequence of drug and money disputes.