US federal prosecutors in Los Angeles announced criminal charges against Lawrence Bishnoi, the prominent leader of an Indian organized criminal group, and eight associates, alleging they were behind the 2023 assassination of Canadian Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The indictment accuses Bishnoi and another defendant of ordering the killing of “H.S.N.”—identified as Hardeep Singh Nijjar—who was gunned down on June 18, 2023, near a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. Prosecutors allege that two other unnamed co-conspirators carried out the shooting, with Bishnoi taking responsibility.

Prosecutors also said Bishnoi continued to direct criminal activity from prison, using contraband mobile phones and voice-over-internet-protocol devices smuggled into his jail cell. They allege he was tied to a range of crimes carried out by members and associates of the Bishnoi organized criminal group, including political assassinations, murders, shootings, extortion, kidnappings, drug trafficking, and human smuggling.

The charges include allegations connected to an additional incident in Vancouver, Canada, and prosecutors said the indictment is part of a broader effort to hold not only alleged “triggermen,” but also those they say orchestrated violence.

Bishnoi is reported to be in custody in India. His childhood friend, Satinderjit Singh Brar, was also named as accused in the indictment and alleged to have directed the group’s North American operations.

The charges come amid a wider dispute between Canada and India over allegations related to killings and attempted killings of Sikh activists in North America. Prosecutors and law-enforcement authorities have previously tied the Nijjar killing and other plots to efforts they say involved higher-level direction.