Hitmen plead guilty in Malik's 2022 murder in Canada

In Canada, two men, Tanner Fox and Jose Lopez, have pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the shooting of Ripudaman Singh Malik. This incident, which took place on July 14, 2022, involved Malik, a Sikh businessman who had been acquitted of charges related to the 1985 Air India bombing, considered Canada's deadliest terror attack. On the eve of their trial for first-degree murder, Fox and Lopez entered their guilty pleas in a courtroom in British Columbia, leading to a chaotic brawl between the two defendants following the proceedings. Malik was fatally shot multiple times while sitting in his car outside his family business in Surrey, with evidence indicating that Fox and Lopez were contracted to kill him. Despite their guilty pleas, the identity of the person who hired them remains unknown. Authorities discovered two handguns associated with the murder and substantial cash linked to Lopez in his apartment. Malik's family has expressed a desire for justice beyond the convictions of the hitmen, urging authorities to uncover those who orchestrated the killing. Malik, previously acquitted in a high-profile trial, had faced serious allegations linked to the Air India bombings, which were motivated by political tensions surrounding the Sikh community and their grievances against the Indian government. As they await sentencing, both Fox and Lopez will face life sentences, with the extent of their time before eligibility for parole still to be determined.