RCMP see no foreign interference as two teenagers charged over Surrey shooting

SURREY, B.C. – RCMP say two teenagers have been charged over a shooting at a home in Surrey, B.C., and investigators have found no links to foreign interference.

A group advocating for Sikh independence had said the target of the Feb. 1 shooting was a member of their movement, and the group believed India was involved.

But a statement from Surrey RCMP says investigators “have not established any links to foreign interference” in the shots being fired at a home on 154th Street.

It says two 16-year-old youths were arrested on Feb. 12 and are being held in custody as they await their next court appearance.

RCMP say the BC Prosecution Service approved charges of discharging a firearm into a place and possessing a loaded prohibited firearm.

The statement issued Tuesday says officers executed a search warrant in Surrey on Feb. 6, seizing three firearms and multiple electronic devices.

Surrey RCMP said no one was injured in the shooting.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun with the group Sikhs For Justice had previously said the target was a member of the movement who is an associate of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in a shooting last June that triggered a diplomatic row with India.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2024.