Canada expels India's top diplomat and alleges wider diplomatic involvement in crimes

TORONTO (AP) — Canada said it has identified India’s top diplomat in the country as a person of interest in the assassination of a Sikh activist there and expelled him and five other diplomats Monday, in an escalating dispute over the June 2023 killing and allegations of other crimes.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada was expelling the Indian high commissioner and the others — all persons of interest, as Canada's foreign minister said police had uncovered evidence of a worsening campaign against Canadian citizens by agents of the Indian government.

“We will never tolerate the involvement of a foreign government threatening and killing Canadian citizens on Canadian soil," Trudeau said. He alleged that diplomats were collecting information about Canadians and passing it on to organized crime to attack Canadians, and said “India has made a monumental mistake."

India has rejected the accusations as absurd.

India's foreign ministry in turn said it was expelling Canada's acting high commissioner and five other diplomats, adding that they were told to leave by the end of Saturday.

Trudeau said last year there were credible allegations that India’s government had links to the assassination in Canada of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Canada's foreign minister, Mélanie Joly, said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had gathered “ample, clear and concrete evidence which identified six individuals as persons of interest in the Nijjar case.”

She said India was asked to waive diplomatic and consular immunity and cooperate in the investigation but refused. She asked that India's government support the ongoing investigation “as it remains in both our countries’ interest to get to the bottom of this.”

She noted that violence “actually increased” following the allegations a year ago.

RCMP Mike Duheme said police have evidence allegedly tying Indian government agents to other homicides and violent acts in Canada.

“The team has learned a significant amount of information about the breadth and depth of criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the government of India, and consequential threats to the safety and security of Canadians and individuals living in Canada,” he said.

Duheme declined to provide specifics, citing ongoing investigations, but he said there have been well over a dozen credible and imminent threats that have resulted in police warning members of the South Asian community, notably the pro-Khalistan, or Sikh independence, movement. He said attempts to have discussions with Indian law enforcement were unsuccessful.

Nijjar, 45, was fatally shot in his pickup truck after he left the Sikh temple he led in Surrey, British Columbia. An Indian-born citizen of Canada, he owned a plumbing business and was a leader in what remains of a once-strong movement to create an independent Sikh homeland.

Four Indian nationals living in Canada were charged with Niijar's murder.

India designated Nijjar a terrorist in 2020, and at the time of his death had been seeking his arrest for alleged involvement in an attack on a Hindu priest.

India has repeatedly criticized Trudeau's government for being soft on supporters of the Khalistan movement who live in Canada. The Khalistan movement is banned in India but has support among the Sikh diaspora, particularly in Canada.

India has been asking countries like Canada, Australia and the U.K. to take legal action against Sikh activists. India has particularly raised these concerns with Canada, where Sikhs make up nearly 2% of the country’s population.

In response to Canada’s earlier allegations, India told Canada last year to remove 41 of its 62 diplomats in the country. Relations between the countries have been frosty since then.

The Indian foreign ministry said Monday that “India reserves the right to take further steps in response to the Trudeau government’s support for extremism, violence and separatism against India.”

The ministry also summoned Canada's top diplomat in New Delhi and told him that “the baseless targeting” of the Indian high commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada “was completely unacceptable.”

One of the diplomats, Stewart Wheeler, told reporters after being summoned that India must investigate the allegations and that Canada “stands ready to cooperate with India.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department said in a statement that an Indian inquiry committee set up to investigate a plot to assassinate another prominent Sikh separatist leader living in New York would travel to Washington on Tuesday as part of its ongoing investigations to discuss the case.

“Additionally, India has informed the United States they are continuing their efforts to investigate other linkages of the former government employee and will determine follow-up steps, as necessary," it said.

Last year, U,S, prosecutors said an Indian government official directed the plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil and announced charges against a man they said was part of the thwarted conspiracy.

The official was neither charged nor identified by name, but was described as a “senior field officer” with responsibilities in security management and intelligence, and was said to have previously served in India’s Central Reserve Police Force.

New Delhi at the time expressed concern after the U.S. raised the issue and said India takes it seriously.

Canada’s foreign minister on Monday noted that India is cooperating with U.S. officials and can do it with Canada as well.

Saaliq reported from New Delhi and Hussain from Srinagar, India.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at a news conference on the investigative efforts related to violent criminal activity occurring in Canada with connections to India, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc, centre, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly participate in a news conference on the investigative efforts related to violent criminal activity occurring in Canada with connections to India, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at a news conference on the investigative efforts related to violent criminal activity occurring in Canada with connections to India, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

The High Commission of India in Canada is seen in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

People walk past The High Commission of India in Canada, in Ottawa, Ontario, on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

The flag of India flies in front of a person standing at a window, at The High Commission of India in Canada, in Ottawa, Ontario, on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

The High Commission of India in Canada is seen in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

The High Commission of India in Canada is seen in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme speaks during a news conference at RCMP National Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontaio, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme, centre, and Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin leave after speaking at a news conference at RCMP National Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontaio, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme speaks during a news conference at RCMP National Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontaio, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme arrives for a news conference at RCMP National Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontaio, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme, left, speaks to a journalist as he concludes a news conference with Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin, right, at RCMP National Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontaio, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme, left, and Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin participate in a news conference at RCMP National Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontaio, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme, left, and Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin participate in a news conference at RCMP National Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontaio, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme, left, and Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin participate in a news conference at RCMP National Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontaio, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme, left, and Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin participate in a news conference at RCMP National Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontaio, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme departs at the end of a news conference at RCMP National Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontaio, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme, left, and Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin participate in a news conference at RCMP National Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontaio, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme participates in a news conference at RCMP National Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontaio, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a Minneapolis driver on Wednesday during the Trump administration's latest immigration crackdown on a major American city — a shooting that federal officials said was an act of self-defense but that the mayor described as reckless and unnecessary.

The 37-year-old woman was shot in the head in front of a family member in a snowy residential neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, just a few blocks from some of the oldest immigrant markets and about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020.

Her killing after 9:30 a.m. was recorded on video by witnesses, and the shooting quickly drew a crowd of hundreds of angry protesters. By evening, hundreds were there for a vigil to mourn the death and urge the public to resist immigration enforcers.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, while visiting Texas, described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers by a woman who “attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him.”

In a social media post, President Donald Trump made similar accusations against the woman and defended ICE’s work.

Hours later, at an evening news conference in Minnesota, Noem didn't back down, claiming the woman was part of a “mob of agitators.” She said the veteran officer who fired his gun had been rammed and dragged by an anti-ICE motorist in June.

“Any loss of life is a tragedy, and I think all of us can agree that in this situation, it was preventable,” Noem said, adding that the FBI would investigate.

But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey blasted Noem's version of what happened as “garbage” and criticized the federal deployment of more than 2,000 officers to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul as part of the immigration crackdown.

“What they are doing is not to provide safety in America. What they are doing is causing chaos and distrust,” Frey said, calling on the immigration agents to leave. “They’re ripping families apart. They’re sowing chaos on our streets, and in this case, quite literally killing people.”

“They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense. Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is bullshit,” the mayor said.

Frey said he had a message for ICE: "Get the f--- out of Minneapolis.”

Videos taken by bystanders with different vantage points and posted to social media show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward and a different ICE officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots into the vehicle at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.

It was not clear from the videos if the vehicle made contact with the officer. The SUV then sped into two cars parked on a curb nearby before crashing to a stop. Witnesses screamed obscenities, expressing shock at what they’d seen. After the shooting, emergency medical technicians tried to administer aid to the woman.

“She was driving away and they killed her,” said resident Lynette Reini-Grandell, who was outdoors recording video on her phone.

The shooting marked a dramatic escalation of the latest in a series of immigration enforcement operations in major cities under the Trump administration. The death of the Minneapolis driver, whose name wasn't immediately released, was at least the fifth linked to immigration crackdowns.

The Twin Cities have been on edge since DHS announced Tuesday that it had launched the operation, which is at least partly tied to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. Noem confirmed Wednesday that DHS had deployed more than 2,000 officers to the area and said they had already made “hundreds and hundreds” of arrests.

A large throng of protesters gathered at the scene after the shooting, where they vented their anger at the local and federal officers who were there, including Gregory Bovino, a senior U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official who has been the face of crackdowns in Los Angeles, Chicago and elsewhere.

In a scene that hearkened back to the Los Angeles and Chicago crackdowns, bystanders heckled the officers, chanting “Shame! Shame! Shame!” and “ICE out of Minnesota,” and blew whistles that have become ubiquitous during the operations.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he's prepared to deploy the National Guard if necessary. He said a family member of the driver was there to witness the killing, which he described as “predictable” and “avoidable." He also said like many, he was outraged by the shooting, but he called on people to keep protests peaceful.

“They want a show. We can’t give it to them. We cannot,” the governor said during a news conference. “If you protest and express your First Amendment rights, please do so peacefully, as you always do. We can’t give them what they want.”

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara briefly described the shooting to reporters but, unlike federal officials, gave no indication that the driver was trying to harm anyone.

“This woman was in her vehicle and was blocking the roadway on Portland Avenue. ... At some point a federal law enforcement officer approached her on foot and the vehicle began to drive off," the chief said. "At least two shots were fired. The vehicle then crashed on the side of the roadway.”

There were calls on social media to prosecute the officer who shot the driver. Commissioner Bob Jacobson of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said state authorities would investigate the shooting with federal authorities.

“Keep in mind that this is an investigation that is also in its infancy. So any speculation about what has happened would be just that,” Jacobson told reporters.

The shooting happened in the district of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, who called it “state violence,” not law enforcement.

For nearly a year, migrant rights advocates and neighborhood activists across the Twin Cities have been preparing to mobilize in the event of an immigration enforcement surge. From houses of worship to mobile home parks, they have set up very active online networks, scanned license plates for possible federal vehicles and bought whistles and other noisemaking devices to alert neighborhoods of any enforcement presence.

Dell'Orto reported from St. Paul, Minnesota. Associated Press reporters Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis, Ed White in Detroit, Valerie Gonzalez in Brownsville, Texas, and Mark Vancleave in Las Vegas contributed.

Demonstrators gather during a vigil near where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell'Orto)

A protester stands next to a makeshift memorial honoring the victim of a fatal shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, near the scene in Minneapolis, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

People protest as law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

People protest as law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

A bullet hole is seen in the windshield as law enforcement officers work the scene of a shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

People protest as law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

Photographer King Demetrius Pendleton has his eyes flushed after being hit with chemical irritants in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (Ben Hovland /Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

A bullet hole and blood stains are seen in a crashed vehicle on at the scene of a shooting in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (Ben Hovland/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

EDS NOTE: OBSCENITY - People protest as law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

A bullet hole is seen in the windshield as law enforcement officers work at the scene of a shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

Law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

People protest as law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

A bullet hole is seen in the windshield as law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

Law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

A bullet hole is seen in the windshield as law enforcement officers attend to the scene of the shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

FILE - Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appears before the House Committee on Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Federal law enforcement officers stand near a roadblock at Portland Avenue and East 32nd Street, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, after reports of a shooting involving federal agents in Minneapolis, where immigration enforcement has been conducting a major crackdown. (AP Photo/Tim Sullivan)

Federal law enforcement officers stand near a roadblock at Portland Avenue and East 32nd Street, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, after reports of a shooting involving federal agents in Minneapolis, where immigration enforcement has been conducting a major crackdown. (AP Photo/Tim Sullivan)