Hitman sentenced to life for murder of Kanishka bombing suspect
What's the story
Jose Lopez, a hitman in the Ripudaman Singh Malik assassination, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court of British Columbia (BC) in Canada.
The 26-year-old, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, won't be eligible for parole for 20 years.
Malik was earlier implicated, but later acquitted, in the tragic 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182—also known as the Kanishka—that killed all 329 people on board.
Background
Malik's acquittal and subsequent murder
Malik was a suspect in the 1985 Air India Flight 182 bombing but was acquitted in 2005 due to insufficient evidence.
He was shot dead by two gunmen outside his Surrey (Canada) office while he sat in his car.
The co-accused in this case, Tanner Fox, has also been sentenced to life under similar circumstances.
Both were charged with first-degree murder and confessed they were paid to kill Malik," reported the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
Information withheld
Names of Malik's killers remain undisclosed
Despite requests from Malik's family, neither Lopez nor Fox disclosed the identity of the person who hired them to kill him.
This has left Malik's children in fear and anxiety as they continue to search for answers regarding the murder of their father.
The prosecution characterized the act as "a planned and deliberate killing" and added that they were "financially compensated for killing him."
Final years
Malik's controversial past and final years
Malik was a controversial figure due to his alleged involvement in the Kanishka bombing, Canada's worst terrorist attack.
He was acquitted along with co-accused Ajaib Singh Bagri, while only bombmaker Inderjit Singh Reyat was convicted but released in 2016 after serving most of his sentence.
In early 2022, Malik publicly renounced the Khalistan movement and praised Indian PM Narendra Modi.
He had ongoing disputes with pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar before his murder.