Two men accused of killing former Air India bombing suspect Ripudaman Singh Malik have pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a Canadian court.
The courthouse in New Westminster, British Columbia, on Monday affirmed the conclusions of Tanner Fox and Jose Lopez in the shooting death of Malik, who was acquitted in 2005 in connection with two bombings in 1985 that killed 331 people.
Fox and Lopez, originally charged with first-degree murder, will appear in court on Oct. 31 for sentencing.
In a statement, Malik’s family said that while they are “grateful” for Fox and Lopez to be brought to justice, they urge both men to cooperate with police “to hold accountable those who hired you.”
Investigators at the scene of a shooting in Surrey, British Columbia, in 2022. File photo: The Canadian Press via AP
Malik, 75, was shot dead in his vehicle outside his business in Surrey, British Columbia on July 14, 2022. He was once a supporter of the separatist Khalistan movement in India.