Hitman Gets Life for Killing Acquitted Air India Bombing Suspect
The Facts
Tanner Fox, 24, received a life sentence with no parole for 20 years for the second-degree murder of Ripudaman Singh Malik, who was shot dead outside his business in Surrey, British Columbia, on July 15, 2022.
Fox and his accomplice Jose Lopez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in October 2024, admitting they were hired and financially compensated to carry out the killing, though the identity of who ordered the hit remains undisclosed.
Malik was previously acquitted in 2005 along with co-accused Ajaib Singh Bagri of charges related to the 1985 Air India bombings, which killed 329 people in Canada's worst terrorist attack. Two others were killed in a second explosion at Japan's Narita airport.
The Spin
Narrative A
As more and more evidence emerges surrounding India's attempts to harass Canada's Sikh community, a thorough probe into New Delhi's potential role in Malik's death is warranted. A government report has even indicated connections between the Indian government and the assassination of another Sikh man, suggesting a pattern of transnational repression.
Narrative B
This "all eyes on India" approach shows how weak journalism is today. Any investigator worth their salt would know that Sikh separatists have strong ties to Canada's underground organized crime world. Many of these murders are likely not even politically motivated but rather the consequence of drug and money disputes.
Narrative C
At this point in the investigation, and more than two years after Malik's death, the easiest way to end this saga and obtain justice is for the assassins to expose who hired them. Malik's family has already lost a loved one, and all they're asking now — no matter who the culprit is — is for the truth to be told.