Two 16-year-old boys have been arrested in the shooting of a home of a Sikh activist with ties to Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh temple president shot dead last year.
The arrests Tuesday followed the shooting of a home in Surrey near Vancouver, British Columbia. That home belonged to Simranjeet Singh who authorities describe as a close associate of Nijjar.
No injuries were reported in the shooting.
“Police seized three firearms and multiple electronic devices during the search. Two 16-year-old males from Surrey were arrested for careless use of a firearm and discharge a firearm with intent,” said Surrey RCMP Cpl. Sarbjit K. Sangha, according to the Ashcroft Ashe-Creek Journal.
Global News reports the two teens have since been released and no charges have been filed. British Columbia Gurdwaras Council spokesperson Moninder Singh said during a news conference that some dozen shots were fired and that the bullets nearly hit a six-year-old boy.
Police say they are investigating a motive to the shooting.
The killing of Nijjar turned into an international story when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of being complicit in the killing. Nijjar had advocated for an independent homeland for Sikhs called Khalistan in the Punjab region of India.
Subsequently the FBI warned Sikh Americans that they too could become targets.
India officials had labeled him a terrorist.
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